


The Senju Girl

by TheBooBox



Category: Naruto
Genre: A little ooc tendencies, Angst and Humor, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), BAMF Hatake Kakashi, Characters with various sexual preferences, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Flirting, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Haruno Sakura Bashing, Haruno family as Dudleys, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Lots of killing, M/M, Madara was robbed of being the last ultimate villain so I'm giving it back, No Aliens, Original characters are mine, Sage of Six Paths has no mommy, Sarcasm, She'll get better though, Team as Family, alternate team 7, character redemptions, characters reaching their potentials, chuunin exams is where they grow up, everyone else is Kishimoto's, everyone is a masochist, lots of blood, lots of swearing, old enough to kill old enough to drink, other pairings to be decided - Freeform, where have all the senju's gone, will tag as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 10:29:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 83,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17958770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBooBox/pseuds/TheBooBox
Summary: AU where Tobirama Senju had a wife and knocked her up and the Senju line didn't end with Tsunade. New Team 7. See tags for more info.





	1. Prelude of Promises

The sky was dark and foreboding, but inside one home in Konoha a couple laid in bed together basking in the afterglow of their love-making. The man hugged his wife’s back close, carefully caressing her stomach with chakra covered hands. “He’s going to be a strong shinobi one day” he said affectionately.

His wife snorted and placed her hands over his, taking them up to her face and placing kisses on the palms. “Of course she is, she’s ours. And she’s a girl, not a boy.”

It was his turn to snort. “What? No way! He’s definitely a boy. Feel how strong he is?”

“And girls can’t be strong? Have you forgotten who your wife is?”

The man faltered, feeling a sense of foreboding. His wife’s temper was not something he wanted to encounter before his shift in an hour. He shifted his body so he was facing her and moved his arms to her lower back, cradling her close. A mischievous smile spread across his face. “Of course not honey, I know precisely who my incredibly hot,” kiss, “strong,” kiss, “beautiful,” kiss kiss, “kunoichi wife is”. She giggled as he showered her in an onslaught of kisses and feigned pushing him away. 

Suddenly there was a loud boom, followed immediately by a deafening roar and wave of KI that paralyzed them both momentarily. 

“The Kyuubi,” she breathed. They sat up and moved towards the door quickly, grabbing their clothes, weapons and med kits on the way. They saw the great fox demon in the center of the village. People were running and screaming and crying, trying to escape the epicenter. She felt so many chakra signatures being extinguished she couldn’t discern them. It was worse than the Third Shinobi War. “Kushina needs me. I need to go-”

“No.” He said, looking at her sternly. “You can’t. I’ll go.”

“What are you talking about?! I can help! I’m a shinobi too and this is my village dammit! You can’t just expect me to run and hide when-”

“Mikki,” he cupped her face and touched her forehead to his. “It’s not just you, remember?” He took one of her hands and placed it on her small belly. Her eyes softened and she began to tear up. “You are a mother now, remember? And you carry within you the future of our clan. You must protect our baby. I will protect you both and the village in your stead.”

“But Ikkoi, what if-“

He cut her off with a fierce kiss. “I love you.” He bent down to kiss her stomach, placing a chakra covered hand over her womb and whispering soft words she couldn’t hear.

“Come back or I’ll kick your ass again.” 

He chuckled and came up to give her one last kiss. “You beating me to a pulp in our chuunin exams wasn’t enough?”

“It’s been years since then, you may need a reminder.” Her smile was sad and words quiet. Her old teammates had joked with her a few days ago, saying pregnancy was making her soft. She didn’t believe them until now. She knew first-hand how frightening the Kyuubi could be, and her husband was going to go help fight it. She tried to hide her fear from him, he needed her faith right now. “Promise me.” She demanded.

He enveloped her in his arms and squeezed tightly. “I promise. I’ll always come back for you.” He let go and faced the center of the village. The scene was horrific, fire and blood and death reigned supreme. “Now go, get to safety. I’ll come find you when it’s over.” He didn’t turn back before vanishing in a flurry of leaves.

Mikki whispered “I love you too” and turned away, heading towards the shelters and grabbing strays along the way. It wasn’t until she was far away that she felt it happen. A flash of demonic flames, impossible in size erupted in the village. She recognized Ikkoi’s chakra, flaring at full power and then…nothing. He was gone.

She fell to her knees and barely noticed the kyuubi disappearing and relocating outside the village. She was numb in body and mind. She couldn’t feel, couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe. It was as if her soul had been ripped from her body. She gripped her head and screamed ‘no’ repeatedly until her throat was raw and her tears had dried up. By dawn, she was nothing but a husk of a woman. 

 

The morning after was a dull blur. She was told by one of his comrades that Ikkoi’s body had been burned to ash by the Kyuubi’s flames. There was nothing left to bury except his Anbu mask he had left at home. The Fourth, her friend since childhood and comrade in the war, was dead. Kushina, her best friend and old teammate was also dead. Their other teammate had offered to take Kushina’s baby in, having two small boys herself, but the council forbade it. The woman’s clan was under suspicion after “incident”, and it would have been a scandal. Mikki wanted to take him herself, but as soon as she saw him she felt the Kyuubi’s chakra within and it made her sick. It wasn’t the same when it was in Kushina, it hadn’t destroyed her life then. To her shame, she knew she wouldn’t be able to separate her hatred for the thing that took her love away from the child of the woman who was as a sister to her. It broke her heart, but she just couldn’t do it. 

Entering her home that was left undamaged physically due to the seals she had up was even worse. Every surface, every object, reminded her of what she lost. Even though their marriage had been arranged, as two of the last three members of their clan and the only two “pure” bloods, they had loved each other greatly. Losing him had been worse than when she had lost her father in the Second war. He was old then, and her mother although in her twenties had died shortly after. Like her own, the marriage had been arranged to keep the bloodline pure, as members were so few the age difference was ignored. However, like her own, her mother had loved her father greatly. Such was their fate to love once and lose too soon. 

Mikki spent the next 7 months of her pregnancy locked away in her home, sending out shadow clones henged as plain civilians for food and necessities. Hating and loving the child growing inside her for preventing her from following her mother’s footsteps completely and joining her husband in the afterlife.

Several times people tried to visit her, but the only one she would see was Mikoto. The Uchiha woman was distraught, mourning the loss of one friend and helpless to aid the other. Her older boy stayed thoughtfully quiet as he listened to his mother comfort her friend while carefully cradling his baby brother. They were there when she went into labor, Mikoto delivering the baby herself since Mikki refused to leave the house and didn’t want anyone else in her home. The baby girl came into the world with a loud cry and finally brought some light into her mother’s eyes. She now had a reason to stay.

 

A few years later Mikki was still quite isolated. She hadn’t gone back to work as Anbu, but instead took work as a jonin. While she was away, she left her daughter in Mikoto’s care, and their children grew to be quite close. As the girl’s godmother and Mikki’s only remaining friend, she trusted the child with no one else. This caused some friction with the council, as they still held the Uchiha clan under suspicion, but Mikki made it painfully clear exactly what she thought of their opinions, openly defending the Uchiha clan in meetings and accusing the council of employing fear tactics. 

Then one day, Mikki was on her way home from a mission outside the village she was ambushed by several dozen shinobi. When she didn’t return after a month, reports came in that she was KIA. The little girl remained in the Uchiha’s care, who carefully nursed her through her grief. The council demanded the child be taken into custody, as being in the care of Uchiha’s was dangerous. The Third refused, but fearing the rising tension between the Uchiha’s and the Council, he went to Mikoto’s house to speak with her and her husband. 

“As the girl’s godparents, it is your choice. However, with things as they are, it might be safer for her to leave the village, at least temporarily. The circumstances of Mikkirama’s disappearance are…unnerving.”

Hiruzen sipped his tea and watched the two small children giggling and playing in the yard outside. The girl, wearing a black dress with white obi, and her hair, one half black and one half white and styled in small pigtails high on her head ran wildly waving her arms about. The boy, dressed in white shorts and a black shirt, with short blue-black hair that stuck up in the back chased her with his arms out. The older boy, wearing all black, long dark hair in a low pony-tail sat calmly and watching with a small smile, though it was clear he was listening to their conversation as well. 

“Will you not allow us to investigate it Hokage-Sama?” Fugaku inquired even though he knew the answer already. Ever since the kyuubi incident his job had gotten much more difficult, both as chief of police and head of the clan. The Third was making it seem like they had a choice, but they all knew they didn’t. As much as he cared for the girl, she was too much trouble to keep. Their clans had a long standing history of conflict, and with the tensions between the Uchiha and the village, their caretaking of her even temporarily was stirring the pot. He had hoped that the close friendship between his wife and the girl’s mother would continue bridge the long-standing gap, but then everything happened. 

“I’m afraid not Uchiha-San. Since it was outside of the village, we have already sent Anbu to investigate and even they have come back with nothing. Since she was also former Anbu, we can assume that she destroyed her body before it could be recovered by enemy ninja. There are no other traces of her.”

Mikoto stayed silent, looking out at the children with sadness weighing on her heart. Both her teammates were gone. Her sisters. Not being allowed to care for Kushina’s baby had hurt her, and now they were taking Mikki’s as well. But the clan’s position was precarious, and as the clan head’s wife she knew where her duty lay. 

“Hokage-Sama,” she tore her eyes away from the little ones and steeled her emotions. “Will you guarantee her safety?”

Hiruzen held her gaze and gently put down his cup before nodding. “Yes, I will. Tsunade-Hime may not be the mothering type, but she is a Sannin and the girl’s last remaining blood-relative.” He noted Mikoto’s slight flinch at the last statement, and tried to sound more reassuring. “The girl will be protected with her, and she will grow strong under her tutelage as well.”

Mikoto bowed her head slightly in thanks. She knew the Sannin woman had suffered great personal loss in the village and would not be returning to stay. It would be a long time before the girl would be able to come back, if she came back at all. “When will she come for her?”

“She should be arriving in three days, just after the girl’s birthday.” Hiruzen looked over again as the girl let out a loud squeal. The small boy had caught her in their game of tag and was tickling her madly. She shouted for the older boy to come help, and when he approached the smaller boy froze, thinking he was done for while the girl smiled triumphantly. It was brief, because then the older boy bent down and started tickling her as well, the smaller boy smiling in absolute glee as they continued their “attack” while their combined laughter filled the house.

Mikoto sighed and stood. The other two men stood with her and she bowed deeply to the hokage. “Thank-you for your consideration, Hokage-Sama. Please excuse me, we will see you in a few days.”

She turned and stepped outside to join the children in their game. The girl reaching for her with breathless gasps and flushed cheeks. Mikoto bent gracefully and gathered her in her arms, holding her just out of reach of the boys. The smaller one pouted cutely and demanded his mother to give his “K” back while the other tried not to look affected but failed. Both females giggled and Mikoto placed her down, only to quickly snatch one boy in each arm so the girl could get her tickle revenge.

Hiruzen smiled sadly and turned to Fugaku. “I am truly sorry Fu. I hope you both can forgive me for all of this.”

Fugaku frowned and shook his head. “We all do what we must, Hokage-Sama.”

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, both knowing there was a double meaning to their words, and made his way to the door. “I will send for you in a few days then.”

Fugaku nodded in return but said nothing. The heaviness was starting to weigh on him, but he was strong. He would not bow under its weight. 

 

Three days and one happy but somber birthday dinner later, it was time for the girl to go. The older boy understood the situation well, and did his best to comfort his otouto, though it was in vain. The almost five-year-old boy was adamant, the girl belonged to him and he would not let some strange woman take her away. The girl, newly four and equally tear-stricken, also refused to leave her big brothers before Mikoto and Fugaku were forced to intervene. Sobbing in defeat, the girl gave her last hugs good-bye to the Uchiha’s. The older boy poking her in the head and whispering to her before releasing her into the smaller boy’s vice like-grip.

“Promise you’ll come back?” he asked in a small voice, nuzzling into her neck.

The girl smiled and pulled away, causing him to pout. She held out her pinky and he took it in his own. “Promise.”

The girl took the strange woman’s hand and began to walk away. The older boy bent down and whispered something into his little brother’s ear. The little one’s eyes to grew wide he released his clutch on his elder brother’s torso and shouted “wait!” before running up to the girl. She turned and he, with an incredibly serious look, grabbed her face and planted a kiss right on her mouth, making them both turn bright red. Squeezing his eyes shut he pointed at her heart and declared loudly for the three women accompanying her, his parents, the Hokage, his aniki, and the shinobi standing guard at the gate all to witness a single word before turning right back around and running all the way home. 

The girl stood there in stunned silence clutching her shirt above her heart and staring at it in confusion. A few moments passed before someone coughed and the woman holding her hand chuckled and gave her a small tug. As they walked the girl whispered the word softly to herself, bringing a bright flush to her cheeks and warmth in her chest she didn’t understand. 

“Mine?”


	2. Starting Off On The Wrong Foot

Twelve years after the Kyuubi attack, a new class of freshly minted genin were waiting their team assignments. As Iruka droned on about the responsibilities of becoming a ninja of the leaf and something about three-man cells with one exception of a four-man cell, the young genin were all mostly lost in their thoughts or straight up tuning out.

Naruto Uzumaki, the blonde haired, blue-eyed, orange jumpsuit wearing, holder of the Nine-Tailed fox, was ecstatic. He was finally a ninja, though it had been a close call. Shikamaru had given him some crap about being there, but he told that guy. He had really wanted to impress Sakura-chan with the story about how he got his headband, but then she blew him off and then he ended up accidentally kissing that jerk Sasuke and pissing her off and it seemed like what was supposed to be the most awesome day of his life was going downhill fast! Naruto sighed and snuck a glance at the beautiful pink haired girl next to him who was all heart-eyes for the damn bastard. It just wasn’t fair. But as long as he was partnered with Sakura-chan and literally anyone else except for Sasuke he would be happy.

Sakura Haruno day dreamed. Her maroon qipao dress complimented her bright pink hair and emerald eyes. She wanted so desperately to be on Sasuke-kun’s team. Three-man cells? It was perfect. She knew they would team her up with him. She pictured him falling in love with her on a mission, sneaking off for make-out sessions, and seeing him up close in action in all his perfection. She was so happy she got to sit next to him today too. Stupid Ino-pig had almost stolen her seat, and even worse, that moron Naruto had stolen Sasuke-kun’s first kiss! Inside she was still seething about that, planning several ways to get revenge on that orange loving idiot. Her parents always told her he was no good, and even though her parent’s annoyed her to no end, she had to agree. She really hoped she wasn’t on his team.

Sasuke sat with his hands folded in front of his mouth, trying his best to ignore the annoying idiots next to him. He was actually excited this morning. Well, as excited as he could possibly be. Dressed in his normal white shorts, dark blue shirt and loose white arm and leg warmers, the blue-black haired boy arrived earlier to the academy than usual. He was one step closer to his goal. Soon he would have an elite jonin instructor that could help him get stronger. But having a three-man cell was two too many. He knew they would only slow him down, and he wasn’t too happy about that. Everyone in their class was so pathetically weak, and all the girls annoyed him. The Hyuuga girl was the only one who wasn’t one of his stalkers, and even though she was weak too he would still rather have her on his team than any of the others. The kiss with the idiot had pissed him off, but he took solace in the fact that he only had to deal with him for a few more moments anyway before he was someone else’s problem. Kami had already taken everything from him already, he wouldn’t make him suffer anymore with a loser or a super fangirl like the pink thing on his team. The chances of that were slim, right?

“Next, Team Seven,” Iruka announced. “Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura,”

“Woo-hoo!” Naruto shouted.

“Oh no” Sakura slumped dejectedly.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” Iruka continued.

Naruto deflated. “Nooo!”

Sakura jumped up suddenly “Oh Yeah!!”

Sasuke said nothing.

“And Senju Akirama.” Iruka finished.

“Master Iruka!!” Naruto shouted in outrage and pointed at Sasuke. “What were you thinking putting a most excellent ninja like myself with that teme?!” 

Iruka explained the balance of teams, Naruto’s lackluster grades and Sasuke’s outstanding ones. Sasuke made an offhand comment to Naruto which incited said boy’s temper and Sakura’s automatic violent defense of the Uchiha before Iruka told them to calm down as there were more teams to announce.

“Master Iruka?” Sakura raised her hand.

Iruka sighed dramatically. “Yes Sakura?”

“Um, I think you made a mistake with our team.” She said hopefully. Akirama sounded like a boy’s name, but she didn’t want to take the chance of it being some random girl who would likely come and try to steal her Sasuke-kun away. “There is no Akirama Senju in our class.” 

Naruto looked around confused before nodding in agreement. Sasuke sat motionless, dark eyes narrowed as he tried to recall where he had heard that name before. He hadn’t realized there had been a fourth person assigned to their team due to the yelling of the losers next to him.

“You are right Sakura, there is no Akirama Senju in our class,” Iruka began. Sakura beamed, hope blooming in her chest. She loved being right! She glanced at Sasuke to see if he would acknowledge her accomplishment, and was immediately disappointed. “That is because she has received her training and education elsewhere. Hokage-Sama and I tested her when she arrived back in the village this morning and she passed with scores equal to that of Sasuke’s. Hokage-Sama has her filling out some paperwork, and she will be here as soon as she’s finished settling in. Now, if we are done wasting time, on to the next group. Next, Team Eight…”

Naruto sat quietly grumbling to himself about being on Sasuke’s team. He just knew that Teme was going to try and steal Sakura-chan from him! Though he was kinda excited about meeting someone new. Most of the kids in his class were ok, but a lot of them didn’t like him for some reason. He glanced down at his stomach and frowned, well now he knew what the reason was. He was hoping that since she was new maybe she would give him a chance and be his friend before someone scared her away, or worse, she turned into another Sasuke-fangirl! Ugh! He spent the rest of the time coming up with a plan to woo Sakura-chan during lunch. Now that they would be on a team together, he’d have lots of time to impress her, he just had to somehow get info from her on what he needed to work on most…

Angry tick marks appeared on Sakura’s forehead with the news of their last teammate not only being a girl but one who tested better than her?! No way! The girl must be a cheat, and Sasuke-kun was too good for that kind of girl. And anyway, he was hers! She decided she had to make her move on Sasuke-kun before this unknown harlot showed up. Then she would make it nice and clear to that girl who exactly he belonged to and to back off! Hopefully she ended up being as useless as Naruto and then Sasuke-kun would finally acknowledge her as his best teammate. She barely concealed a squeal in her inner excitement.

Lost in his own thoughts, Sasuke wondered how on earth someone, let alone a girl, scored as well as he did. That could potentially mean a teammate who wasn’t completely useless. Though, he still wasn’t happy this person was of the female variety. He looked out the window and wondered how long he would be forced to work on a team before he was allowed to take solo-missions.

Lunch had been interesting to say the least. All the genin returned to the classroom and awaited their jonin leader’s arrival. Sasuke his anxiousness behind his mask of indifference. Naruto had somehow tricked him and bound him up in rope, but also transformed into him. Where did he learn how to do that? Yesterday the dobe couldn’t make a clone to save his life, and now this? Sasuke escaped and went after him, curious to learn where Naruto had suddenly become mildly competent and to what his intentions were parading around in Sasuke’s visage. Only what he found was a very forward Sakura who, after saying some cruel things about the idiot not having any parents, Sasuke promptly decided he was done with. She obviously fell for whatever jutsu Naruto had pulled, and was incredibly ignorant about others pain. She was nothing but a spoiled brat and a weakling. 

Naruto’s plan had almost gone right. He had successfully trapped the bastard and tricked Sakura-chan and was about to kiss her and make up for that horrible incident from earlier when he got a terrible case of the bubble guts. Sure, she had said some pretty mean things about him, how could she think he wanted to ruin her life? He was in love with her! And she was so desperately in love with Sasuke! Why? It made no sense! That bastard didn’t deserve her love, and Naruto was determined to prove it to her. Prove that he was the one for her! He knew what he had to do too, he was going to show her how much better of a ninja he was than Sasuke and win her heart! 

Sakura was lost. First Sasuke-kun had almost kissed her, then he tells her she makes him sick? All she did was pour her heart out and bare her soul to him too! It’s not like what she had said about Naruto could have upset him that much, like he hadn’t seemed bothered about it before when they were about to kiss so what? She resolved to try and be nicer to Naruto just in case because really she would do anything to please her future husband. She just hoped it worked.

A knock at the door broke everyone out of their reveries as three intimidating individuals, two adults and one girl, walked into the room. The first was a towering tanned man with dark brown hair and a cigarette hanging loosely in his mouth. The woman was gorgeous with wild black hair and red eyes with black irises and a fashionable ninja-bandage style dress. The girl who walked between them was ivory skinned, with large solid dark red eyes that were cold and hard like rubies. Her hair was odd, the left half black and the right half white, styled in a low bun with chopsticks. She was wearing a black zip-up turtle neck that was open part way at the neck and the long sleeves had loops for her thumbs, and a men’s red obi wrapped thrice around the waist. Her loose black ninja pants reached mid-calf and she had blue ankle shinobi style boots. She wore a blue leaf headband on her forehead and her weapons pouch was on her left thigh. She glanced lazily around the room before turning back towards Iruka. 

“Ah! La-Miss Senju, glad you could finally join us!” He smiled warmly. She stared at him and he sweat-dropped. “You have been assigned to Team 7, it’s a four-man cell so why don’t you take an empty seat anywhere and just listen for your team to be called, ok?” The girl turned to nod at the two jonin who had accompanied her before walking over and sitting in an empty section two rows in front of her teammates, who stared unabashedly along with the other genin in the class. They could see the red Senju clan crest on her back as she put her head down and seemingly went to sleep. 

“Who does she think she is?!” Sakura whisper yelled. The girl was definitely a threat. Not only did she give off a cold aura but she wasn’t bad looking and her chest being about the same size as Ino’s didn’t help either. A glance at Ino showed her ex-friend had come to the same conclusion. Sakura lamented her lack of gifts in the T&A department for the second time that day and continued to glare daggers into the girls back.

Naruto was slightly disappointed. She seemed mean. She didn’t even talk to them or smile or anything! He really hoped they could be friends anyway. Other teams were getting called up by their leaders and the girl remained asleep. Maybe she was just crabby? Yeah that was it. Hopefully after her nap her mood improved and Naruto would get a chance to talk to her. Oh! And maybe she would want to get some ramen after too! He bet since she was new to the village she hadn’t had a chance to visit Ichiraku’s yet, and there was no way they couldn’t be friends after he introduced her to the ramen-mecca! Naruto smiled to himself and nodded determinedly. 

Sasuke sat still as the world had come to a screeching halt. As soon as her eyes passed over him he was suddenly bombarded with memories. He had blocked out so much of his childhood. Everything from before his evil brother killed everyone he loved had been erased. Sasuke lived and breathed only for revenge. When he thought of his parents, he only saw their corpses. The memories of their smiles and life was too painful. And now he remembered her. How could he have forgotten? His first friend.

She had been taken away from him when he was four, and he spent the next few years for It happened missing her and hoping she would keep her promise. He had been told that she left for her own protection, so he trained hard so that he could protect her when she came back home and she wouldn’t have to leave again. After her mother died and she came to live with them, Sasuke felt selfish and guilty for being so happy. He had loved it before when she came over when her mom was on missions. She was good at playing ninja, she made great dinosaur noises, and he was her only friend. She was never allowed to go play with the other kids. It made him feel special and important.

And when they took her away he thought he was being punished. He had been so wrapped up in his sadness he had forgotten to lay claim to her, but thankfully he was reminded just before she left. His brother knew his fear that she would find another friend to replace him. He had learned early that Uchiha’s were possessive and that as an Uchiha man you must lay claim on what was yours before someone else did. And so in his child-like mind he did just that. He tried to control the blush that formed when he remembered that moment, his first real kiss and pointing at her heart and screaming the word “mine!” at the top of his little lungs before running away in mortification at how high his voice had gotten. 

Now she was back and on his team and she hadn’t even acknowledged him. Did she not recognize him? Did she know what happened to his family? Did she think he was dead? Did she forget him too? His thoughts ran wild as he stared at her back. A few hours passed and he was lost in long-forgotten memories of their childhood together and trying to ignore the growing anxiety in the pit of his stomach. 

Soon the bickering between Naruto and Sakura reached impossible decibel levels. Naruto was whining about being the last ones there, Iruka having left ages ago and Sakura having forgotten her resolution to be nicer to the blonde in record time and screaming at him to shut up. Their argument then shifted to Naruto’s prank he was attempting, Sasuke expressing his lack of faith and Sakura agreeing loudly, admonishing Naruto for being so dumb. Their mysterious teammate raised her head and gave them both a look that was somehow both deadly and bored.

“Oi!” All three heads snapped in her direction. They had almost forgotten she was there. Well, Naruto and Sakura had at least. Sasuke was painfully hyper-aware of her presence. “You two always this loud?” she questioned.

Naruto bristled and pointed a finger at her. “We’re not loud! You’re just too quiet!”

Sakura nodded and glared. “Yeah! And you’re rude too!”

The girl raised an eyebrow at both of them and shrugged. “I never claimed otherwise.” She stated before putting her head back down and seemingly going back to sleep.

“Uh…ok?” Naruto said, looking at his two other teammates in confusion.

“Sheesh! She’s like a girl-Shikamaru!” Sakura exclaimed. She looked over at Sasuke who was looking at the girl intently. Sakura growled and stalked over to the girl, putting her hands on her hips and leaning over to get in her face. 

Before Sakura could speak, the girl raised her head on her forearms and looked at the pinkette. “What do you need Cherry?”

Sakura blushed a little at the nickname but quickly recovered, glaring once more she steeled herself. She was establishing her dominance as the alpha female on this team, she needed to be frim. “First of all, my name is Sakura. Sakura Haruno. Not Cherry. Got it?” The other girl said nothing but continued to stare impassively at the glowering female before her. Seriously, after living with Tsunade for so long, no woman or man on Earth could intimidate her. This girl was trying to blow down an iron tower with a baby’s breath of air. 

“Second of all, just so you know, Sasuke-Kun is off limits. Don’t you dare think about making a move on him because I. Will. End. You.” She said in her most intimidating voice. Standing over on a ladder by the door, Naruto shuddered and gripped the eraser in his hand tightly. Sasuke glared at Sakura, but remained silent and motionless.

“Yosh!” The girl said, sitting up and stretching lazily before lacing her fingers behind her neck and offering the other girl a smile. “Not that I don’t appreciate a good threat now and again Cherry Darling, but let’s get a few things straight, ok?” Her tone was light as if she was talking to an old friend.

Sakura stood still as the girl continued. “One, I’ll call you whatever I like, so be happy I’m sticking with Cherry and not Talking-Forehead, because that could easily be changed if I decided to be an asshole like you. Second, stop picking on Blondie over there. He obviously likes you and you’re being an absolute dick. Third, I have no idea what a Sasuke-Kun is, so you can-” Sakura shrieked in outrage and went to punch the girl, but before either boy could move Akirama was suddenly behind Sakura, one hand around her waist and the other holding a kunai to her throat. The boys froze where they were, Naruto was still on the ladder and Sasuke was halfway out of his seat.

“And Fourth,” her voice was dark now, all light gone. “…we both know you can’t end shit. In the future, I would strongly suggest never trying to attack me again outside of training exercises. Got it?”

Sakura was shaking like a leaf and nodded numbly. Tears were gathering in her eyes and she looked at Sasuke pleadingly, hoping he would come to her rescue. All she found in his eyes was a look of shock and disbelief before he replaced his mask and sat back down, turning his head to look out the window. Akirama let go and calmly walked back to her seat, pausing a moment when her hand touched the desk. 

“Sakura-chan! Are you ok?!” Naruto shouted and made to run over to her, forgetting he was on a ladder and falling over. Before he could hit the ground he was caught by the scruff of his jacket and set upright. He looked at the girl in front of him, who had just threatened his crush but also saved him from face planting. “uh…thanks?” he said, not really sure how to feel.

“No problem Blondie.” She took the eraser from him went over to the board. The three genin watched as she took a piece of pink chalk and shaded a large section of the board before erasing it and using a hand sign to henge its appearance to look normal. She walked back to the ladder and wedged it between the door like Naruto had planned and then resumed her seat and flashed Sakura the peace sign. “Think of this as my peace offering.” She said before pointing to the door.

All three were confused when the door slightly opened and the eraser fell on top of a man’s head of white-grey hair in a poof. The man was wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face and his headband covered one eye. Naruto started laughing at cheering that his prank had worked while Sakura started making excuses and relieving herself of involvement. Sasuke resumed his window watching the obvious disappointment in his new sensei evident as the one-eyed man observed them all one by one.

When his lone eye landed on Akirama, she smiled and snapped her fingers and the henge released, revealing a cloud of pink dust and his wild styled up-do looking like tuff of cotton candy. 

Three long seconds of absolute silence was broken when Naruto started cackling madly and fell to the floor clutching his stomach in pain. Sakura had gasped and brought her hands to her mouth before erupting into a fit of giggles. Sasuke turned his head and did a double-take before he let out a snort and tried to cover his smile up with his hands. Akirama continued smiling and rested her head on one palm. 

“Hmm…how should I put this?” The man mused. “Based on my first impression I’d have to say…I hate you all!”


	3. Intro's and Info

“Now I’d like you all to tell us a little about yourselves.” The one-eyed man drawled. They had all met on the roof of the academy. He was surprised when the Senju girl shunshined right after he did, and picked a spot the right of him and remained silent. When the others arrived, she looked as if she had fallen asleep again, her knees brought up to her chest and arms crossed over them, head resting comfortably on her forearms and breathing steady.

“Like what?” The blonde asked. He had sat on the man’s left side. The Uchiha had sat next to the Senju girl, close enough for the pink girl who found a spot on the Uchiha’s other side between him and Naruto to start seething as he inched the other girl’s way whenever Sakura tried to get closer to him.

“Oh you know, the usual. Your favorite thing, what you hate the most, dreams, ambitions, hobbies. Things like that.”

The blonde and the pink haired girl gave him some grief and insisted he go first. He gave them all his normal no information speech which included only his name. “Oh…me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t feel like talking about his likes and dislikes. My dreams for the future are none of your business…but anyway, I have lots of hobbies.” He noticed the Senju girl stilled slightly at his name, but the others seemed more absorbed in the lack on info they received. “Now it’s your turn, starting with you on the right.”

“Me, right! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is when Master Iruka treats me to ramen at the Ichiraku’s noodle bar!” The pink haired girl and Uchiha boy sweat dropped. A slight movement from the Senju implied she was chuckling. “What I hate is the three-minute wait after I pour in the boiling water.” Kakashi listened to the boy go on and on about ramen, until he declared loudly and boldly what his dream was. “My dream is to one day…be a better ninja than all the Hokages!! And then the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence!” The Senju and Uchiha stilled and the pink haired one scoffed. “My hobbies are…practical jokes I guess.”

Kakashi narrowed his eye, yes he had figured that. The other two tensed and glanced at his hair, still slightly tinged pink, but Kakashi moved on. “You next, Pinky.”

Said girl blushed and brought her hands up to her chest. She began stumbling over her words and giggling, but the gist is that she was pretty much obsessed with the Uchiha boy who seemed embarrassed about it and was sneaking nervous glances at the Senju girl who hadn’t moved. “My name is Haruno Sakura and my favorite thing is…well it’s not a thing it’s a boy and that boy is…umm...my dream is...” She squealed and blushed even harder. “My hobbies are…ummm…” another giggle. It seemed that Pinky had no interest in shinobi life at all.

Kakashi sighed. “And what do you hate?”

“Naruto and Akirama!” she shouted passionately before looking frightened over at the other girl and glancing quickly back down. Naruto looked devastated and the Uchiha boy glared at the pinkette. So far they were an interesting bunch.

“Alright, now you.”

“My name is Uchiha Sasuke,” he glanced at the girl on his right but she had yet to move. He continued on, “There are plenty of things I hate, and there is almost nothing I do like.” Another side glance before continuing, “It pointless to talk about ‘dreams’…but what I do have is determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there’s someone I have sworn…to kill.” Kakashi narrowed his gaze, he had suspected as much. The boy was like a mirror image of himself. If he passed tomorrow Kakashi would have to try his best to save him from himself before it was too late.

Turning his attention to the last member of the team, he put on a cheery voice. “You’re last Princess.”

The girl had already picked up her head and was staring at the Uchiha like he was an abstract piece of art before sharply turning to Kakashi and shooting him a look when he called her ‘princess’. The Uchiha pretended not to notice her looking at him but the creeping blush revealed otherwise. The pink haired girl simply glared at her new rival and Naruto looked on interested.

“I’m Kira. I like green tea and I hate when people act like assholes.” Sakura gulped audibly and Kakashi smirked behind his mask. “Hobbies are reading and training. Dreams are either nightmares or highly realistic sex dreams, though there is one repeating dream where I’m late for a meeting with some rabbits and I’ve forgotten to put on pants.” All four listeners blushed deeply and Kakashi sweat-dropped. “Goal is to become strong enough to free myself.” She finished mysteriously.

Several seconds of silence passed before Naruto spoke. “Are the rabbits in people clothes?” Sakura turned and raised a fist like she was going to hit him before Akirama spoke.

“Yes they’re all in traditional formal dress, I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”

Naruto nodded sagely and crossed his arms. “I think that makes it worse dattebayo.”

Akirama sighed and shook her head. “I think you’re right Blondie.”

Kakashi coughed to gain their attention and announced their first mission. After some whining on Naruto and Sakura’s part and some evil teasing on his, he handed out the mission requirements and poofed away, hiding his chakra to observe from a nearby tree.

Naruto asked the others if they wanted to get ramen, Sakura screeched a rejection and threat before Akirama walked up and shot Sakura a warning look. Sakura stuttered an “excuse me” and turned to Sasuke with a shy smile to ask if he wanted to go on a date. Akirama accepted Naruto’s offer and he smiled brightly and jumped for joy and asked if she wanted to train after they ate. She agreed and he started babbling about how great Ichiraku’s was. Sasuke meanwhile rejected Sakura coldly and disappeared, leaving the girl heartbroken to head home alone. Akirama turned and asked Sakura if she was sure she didn’t want to come but the other girl responded with a hard glare and “no thank you” that sounded less polite than it should have. Kakashi then observed the Uchiha following the other two discretely from a distance to the restaurant.

Just as they arrived at the ramen stand, Akirama turned and looked directly at the spot where the Uchiha was hiding and smiled. She raised her hand to her teammate and beckoned him over with a wave. Uchiha stayed where he was for a moment, before the girl frowned and pointed to the seat next to her and mouthed the word “now”. Kakashi was thoroughly amused when the boy straightened up from his hiding place, red faced, and tried his best to casually walk over to join the other two. When he arrived she patted the seat and Naruto scowled and asked what he was doing here.

Sasuke glared back, “You invited everyone, remember dobe?”

“Yeah but you didn’t say you were coming Teme!” was the retort.

Sasuke smirked. “I never claimed otherwise”

Akirama shot Sasuke a look with a raised eyebrow and laughed, smacking him heartily on the back. “Nice one Ducky-chan!” Sasuke glowered and Naruto started laughing.

“Hahahaha oh man that is awesome! Ducky-chan!” he laughed. Sasuke sat brooding in silence while the other two chatted. Or rather, Naruto talked non-stop and Akirama listened thoughtfully, laughing and adding a few comments here and there. Sasuke kept sneaking glances at her and turning a faint shade of pink whenever she turned to look at him, trying to include him in the conversation but only receiving nods and “hn’s”.

When they were finished the girl paid the bill despite their protests and asked the boys where a decent training ground was where they could do some damage. Sasuke led the way to one near the edge of the training areas that was rarely used, heart beating wildly in his chest.

Kakashi stopped following them just before they got there, he didn’t want to ruin his fun for tomorrow completely. Through his observations he had some hope for them, and so he decided to go check up on his fourth student to see if he could trick her into joining the others. However, when he arrived at her window he was not expecting to be confronted with the scene before him.

 

Sakura’s parents were livid. “How dare the hokage put you on the same team as that demon child!” her mother shouted. “How could they even allow that monster to become a shinobi?! And the Uchiha boy?! He’s a walking target! Any day now that psycho killer will come back to finish the job and you will get caught in the cross fire! The Senju girl is just as much of a liability! Everyone knows that clan is cursed! I won’t allow it!”

Sakura was crying. “But mother! Sasuke-kun needs me! He-”

“I said no! You can’t marry him anyway! Everyone knows the Uchiha clan was behind the Kyuubi incident! They’re no good! What was Lord Hokage thinking putting those two together anyway! Ugh!” The woman threw up her hands in exasperation.

“Hmph. He’s probably hoping they’ll all get taken out at once.” Her husband replied. “Or better yet, the Friend-Killer will probably do the job for him. Three-birds with one stone if you know what I mean.” He chuckled and straightened out his newspaper.

Sakura was panicked. She didn’t care about the other two, but Sasuke…“Daddy please! I need to be with Sasuke-kun! Can’t you do something?” she pleaded with large eyes as she threw herself at him and cried.

“And what would you have me do my little Cherry Blossom?” He asked, petting her head softly.

“Ask for him and I to be on another team! Our own team with a good sensei!” her tears were gone now and she was smiling sickly-sweet. “Forget those other two! They’re both freaks, just like mommy said. But Sasuke-kun isn’t like that. And he’s my true love, we can’t bear to be separated! And he’s so strong mommy! The strongest in our class! You won’t have to worry about me! I know he’ll protect me!”

Sakura’s mother huffed and crossed her arms. “I don’t know Sakura. Maybe you should switch to another career. Something safer. You’re not the most responsible person and being a shinobi is a lot of responsibility. You don’t even put your shoes away properly!”

“But mommy!” Sakura whined shedding more crocodile tears. She detached herself from her father and ran to her mother. “I want him mommy! I worked so hard and I finally have my chance! Please?”

Both parents shared a look before finally giving in. “Alright dear, we will see what we can do.”

Sakura jumped up and down with glee, tears all gone as she hugged her parents tightly and squealed loudly. “Chanarro! I’ll be back later then!” Stopping to kiss each parent on the cheek.

“Where are you going Cherry-Blossom?” Her father inquired.

“I’m going to go find Ino-pig and tell her the good news! Then I’m going to go try to find Sasuke-kun. He’ll be so happy he won’t have to be on a team with those others he might finally kiss me and confess his love!” she giggled and ran towards the door.

“Alright then dear have fun! Try not to stay out too late, your father will go talk to the hokage right now. We should have this straightened out by the time you get back!”

“Okay mommy! Thank you! Bye daddy!”

With that Sakura bounced out the door, happily humming along the way towards the Yamanaka flower shop.

 

Kakashi controlled his temper and disappointment. When he and the Hokage met with the Haruno’s earlier they were completely different. It seemed the entire family had split personalities. He shunshined immediately to the hokage’s office and looked the man in the eye. “Hokage-Sama.”

“Ah, Kakashi, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until after your bell test tomorrow. Don’t tell me they’ve proven their ability to work as a team already?” He asked, drawing his pipe out.

Kakashi suppressed a growl and shook his head. “Yes and no.”

Intrigued, Hiruzen gestured for him to continue.

“There is an issue we need to discuss.”

 

Back at the training grounds three genin were tired and sweaty. After learning that Naruto could make shadow clones, Kira had explained how Naruto had a big advantage in the training arena, and since he was sorely behind in pretty much everything else, he was going to need it. “They’re solid clones that when made divide your chakra equally into parts. When the clone is dismissed or killed, all its memories come back to you. Which means you can have clones training with shuriken and kunai practice, another few doing research, and another working on genjutsu at the same time. You don’t need to be perfect at casting genjutsu, but you do need to be able to detect and dispel for sure. The real you can work on taijutsu and ninjutsu with us since you’ll probably take quite a few hits. You’re strong but very sloppy, and this jutsu will help you catch up with us quickly.” Naruto was excited but his mind wandered to what kind of epic pranks he could pull being in so many places at once. A voice chuckled evilly in his head that didn’t belong to the Fox.

Sasuke was slightly jealous of the dobe. How did he have so much chakra anyway? Kira alluded to something that made Naruto nervous and she smiled and told him it was ok and not to be afraid. “People are assholes Blondie. Don’t worry if they don’t understand. The people who do are the ones you can count on, got it? Everyone else can go suck a fat dick.”

Naruto and Sasuke blushed and Kira giggled. “Kami you guys are such prudes!”

“I’ll show you prude!” he shouted making a hand sign. “Sexy Jutsu!”

Naruto poofed into a voluptuous naked blonde woman. Sasuke deadpanned and Kira stared wide eyed before laughing hysterically. “This is amazing Blondie! Where did you learn this? Do you have any idea how hilarious this is? Oh man this will work on so many morons! It’s like the ultimate weapon!”

Her teammates gaped at her, though it was rather lude on Naruto’s transformed figure. Sasuke was bristling. Seriously? She was impressed by him? Twice? The dead-fucking-last? Naruto transformed back and boasted about having used it successfully on Iruka-sensei, the Hokage and another closet-pervert he didn’t know and it being his own invention. Kira nodded enthusiastically and high-five'd him.

“Okay Ducky-Chan, I can tell by your face you want to learn the shadow clone jutsu too but it’s going to take a while before you get there.” He frowned but remained silent, motioning her to continue. “It’s a forbidden jutsu for a reason. Splitting your chakra like that can kill you or put you in a vegetative state or worse. You need to work up your reserves to at least jonin level before we can try, which shouldn’t take too long since you’re already at low chuunin.”

“Hey Kira-chan, how can you tell all this stuff about our chakra anyway?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke was upset with the idiot for interrupting but he was a bit curious too. “Oh easy! I’m technically a sensory ninja. I can sense chakra on a detailed level and from great distances. The closer I am, the more I can tell. My other strengths are my speed and ninjutsu. I’m decent in technical taijutsu, but weaknesses are physical strength, genjutsu and shuriken/kunai throwing.”

“What do you mean a detailed level?” Sasuke asked.

“Oh like for instance, where your chakra affinities lie. Blondie, your primary chakra elements are wind and water, and your secondary chakra’s element is fire. Ducky-chan, your primary element is lightning, followed by fire and earth.” She smiled at both of them and they both smiled back.

“Really that is awesome!” Naruto shouted and pumped his fist in the air. “I can’t wait to learn some cool new jutsu now!”

“Hn.” Sasuke agreed. “What are your affinities?” He asked.

“Umm I’ve got water primary and lightning secondary.” She stated. “Anyway Duck, you’re strong, you’ve got some excellent taijutsu skills and you’re pretty good with shuriken and kunai, so we can work on your speed, ninjutsu and genjutsu, though the sharingan should help a bit.”

Sasuke remained silent and looked away, while Naruto looked confused. “Uh, hey what’s sha-ring-on?” he asked.

“It’s the kekkei-genkai of the Uchiha clan. An Ocular ninjutsu.” Sasuke answered.

“Wow that’s cool Teme! Can we see it?” Naruto didn’t know when his two scary teammates stopped being so scary and started being so talkative and friendly. He liked to think it was the power of Ichiraku’s, the Holy Grail of Ramen held serious power after all. Since they had eaten their first bowls, Kira-chan had been in a good mood and was joking around with them. Even Sasuke-bastard seemed to have lightened up. Then they came to the training grounds and went all out in a taijutsu free-for-all til they dropped. It was epic! Naruto had used almost twenty shadow-clones at a time to attack his teammates, who ended up teaming up against him before winning, then Kira-chan switched it up and flipped Sasuke-bastard on his stomach and sat on his back, declaring herself winner and queen of the training ground. Teme hadn’t even gotten upset just flipped them over and declared a change of leadership. Naruto then tackled them both and proclaimed himself ruler of all time and they both grabbed him and tied him up. Kira-chan refused to let him out and explained how to use the escape jutsu properly, and when did Sasuke-bastard even gave him a nod of approval. He just wished Sakura-chan was here to join in the fun.

When Sasuke didn’t say anything the other two exchanged a look. “Ducky-chan, close your eyes for me, ok?”

Sasuke shot her a look but she was staring at him seriously. “Trust me ok? I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Blondie won’t hurt you either.” Naruto nodded vehemently in agreement.

Promise. The word echoed in his brain. He looked at her eyes and nodded. Closing his eyes, he breathed in. He felt her hands on his stomach, the epicenter of his chakra network. Warm, pleasant chakra filled him up and spread throughout his network, flowing like water clearing him of invisible debris. She told him to follow the stream, and allow himself to feel his own chakra flowing. One of her hands then moved to cover his eyes and she told him to focus his chakra there lightly. After a moment, she removed her hands and asked him to open his eyes.

When he did Naruto was the first to react, gasping loudly. “Holy shit Teme your eyes!”

He looked at Kira who was smiling gently. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small mirror for him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, sharingan with two tomoe in each eye. “But…how?” he asked.

“Your chakra was activated there but dormant, like you had it but haven’t used it in a long time. And by your reaction I figured maybe you hadn’t used it because you didn’t know how to.” She explained with a shrug.

“I…I don’t understand. When did I get it? And How come I didn’t know?”

“Well, from what I’ve read, Sharingan is developed and advanced when an Uchiha feel one of the two strongest emotions greatly. Those being Love and Hatred. So, either you’ve experienced a moment of great love twice, a moment of great loss or hatred twice, or one of each and just don’t remember. Either way you probably passed out before someone noticed your eyes. Sharingan uses a lot of chakra and if you aren’t used to it can drain you fast. Mangekyo Sharingan is different, written records indicating that it has only been developed by witnessing the death of a loved one, though historically mistaken for causing the death instead.”

Naruto remained silent, trying to absorb all the information being given. Sasuke looked at Kira, and remembered the burning sensation in his eyes when he had kissed her and squeezing his eyes shut and running home to pass out. The second time he felt it was when It happened, after he confronted his brother and had been overwhelmed with hatred, and he had passed out then too.

“Hn.” He said, and after a moment continued. “Read where? That kind of information isn’t usually available outside of the clan.” Closing his eyes he released the chakra there and suddenly felt extremely exhausted. He was about to collapse when Naruto caught him, much to his chagrin.

“Easy there Ducky-chan. We’re going to have to work on building up your chakra control and stamina before you start over-working yourself. Can’t just dive right in. Actually, that goes for all of us. As for the information, my grandfather did a lot of research on the Uchiha clan’s sharingan. Before his brother died he had instructed him to not to mistreat the Uchiha, which he tried to do by creating the police force for them to run as a sign of trust, and with their permission researched the sharingan in order to help them develop it in less negative environments. Most of his research was stolen after he died, but he kept a few scrolls hidden away with his personal items. His things were given to me a year ago, and I’ve stored them away for safe keeping before coming here.” There was a pause while Sasuke took a moment to take in all he had heard.

“Well…shit.” Naruto and Kira shared matching looks of surprise as Sasuke smirked and they all laughed. Kira glanced up at the sky and saw it was starting to get dark.

“C’mon, let’s get you guys home. We’ve got that survival training against Baka-sensei tomorrow. We all need to rest up, especially me. It’s been days since I’ve actually slept and I’m about this close to being absolutely useless. These damn cat naps aren’t holding up.” She laughed.

After some friendly debate on chivalry versus equality versus Kira was new in the village and she paid for lunch so shut up, the boys insisted walking her home first. She told them to make sure they ate a good breakfast. When they protested saying they didn’t want to throw up, Kira pointed out that it was a “fucking survival exercise against a fucking jonin. A legendary one at that. Survival in the shinobi world means fight. How do you expect to survive a fight against a jonin if you’re too weak from hunger idiots? Don’t worry about Cherry-darling either. I’ll bring her some food in the morning ok!”

The boys acquiesced to her demands, promising to eat under threat of punishment. Kira hugged them both good-bye, confessing she was happy to have made her first friends and she looked forward to working with them, even if they were both morons. Both boys blushed for different reasons and she laughed, shutting the door and disappearing into her apartment. Before they split separate ways, Naruto stopped Sasuke and held out his hand.

“Friends, Teme?”

Sasuke was about to refuse when he pictured Kira’s face. She had been so happy during their training session. And even after the incident in the classroom she had been willing to put her issues aside to try and befriend Sakura, offering an olive branch in the form of pink chalk. He knew she would be disappointed in him if he turned down the dobe. Plus, it’s not like the idiot was that weak either. Kira had been impressed with him on several accounts, not just his mysterious chakra. At Ichiraku’s she had declared he was going to be a valuable team member, going to far as to point out Naruto’s apparent excellent stealth skills to have pulled off so many elaborate public pranks in a bright orange jumpsuit in a village full of ninja and hardly ever get caught. Besides, if Naruto was as strong as Kira implied, then training against him regularly instead of alone would help him advance quicker, getting him closer to his goal. And now, with his Sharingan, and Naruto with his shadow clones, things would be progressing nicely. He didn’t want to admit to the growth slump he was in before, and if putting aside his differences helped things along then…

Sasuke stuck out his hand and grabbed Naruto’s in a firm grip. “Just try not to slow me down, loser.” He smirked.

Naruto growled and gripped back. “I should say the same to you Teme!” He smiled brightly and let go, turning to leap in the opposite direction with a wave and a laugh, disappearing on the roof tops.

Sighing, Sasuke realized none of his questions about Kira and their shared past had been answered. In fact, if anything now he had even more questions. Frowning he glanced up at the sky. He wanted to talked to her alone but, she mentioned something about needing sleep. Maybe tomorrow after training he could try to get some answers. Heading off in the direction of his apartment, Sasuke felt a small smile tug on his face. The day hadn’t turned out that bad after all.

 

Back in her apartment, Kira sank into her warm bath. She didn’t think today was going to go as well as it did. Sitting back and observing her team while they waited for the teacher had proven useful. She had felt the Kyuubi chakra immediately, but the boy was pleasant and clearly non-threatening. The girl had been annoying, and Kira did lose her temper with the girl after hearing her talk down to their other teammate. In her defense she really hadn’t slept in almost a week and had eaten very little, so her tolerance for such fuckery had been low. Traveling on her own for weeks had been rough but Tsunade and Shizune were on one and she didn’t want to wait for them to sober up. She had left them behind on somewhat rocky terms, but she had a goal and the women made it clear they weren’t going to help her.

The Uchiha boy had been a mystery. She had heard about the massacre in her travels and around the village, but he was nothing like she expected. Plus, he kept staring at her when he thought she couldn’t tell like he was expecting her to say something. Did he think she was going to be all over him like the other girl? Kira scoffed. No fucking way. Kira had one goal, and romance was not needed. Although she was quite happy that she was able to make friends with the two boys so far, and she hoped to make friends with the girl too, allowing it would probably be more difficult after this morning, she was still willing to try. After years of traveling and running she had never gotten a chance to make friends her age before, and found that it was something precious. Something she wanted to hold on to and keep for as long as she was able to before her goal was accomplished. Smiling to herself, Kira left the bath and went to bed, praying tonight would be good dream one and not nightmare one. She really, really needed to sleep.

 

Across town in her home Sakura was crying herself to sleep. Apparently, when her father went to talk to the hokage, things hadn’t gone quite as planned. Sakura’s father had told the hokage that he wasn’t comfortable with his daughter being on the same team as the jinchuuriki, and that he believed the Uchiha boy to be an asset to the village and also not worth risking, and that as the two top students in their class, they would do well on a two-man cell. The hokage thanked him for his concern, and apologized for not informing them earlier who his daughters teammates were. But as the Uchiha boy was technically under his care, he would not be removing him from Team 7. However, as Sakura’s parents, their concern for her safety in this matter were taken seriously, and that he would make a special consideration, just this once. The Third made it clear in no uncertain terms that while he was all about second chances, he would only give Haruno Sakura one last chance at being a ninja before she was removed from the program permanently. Typically, team exchanges were strictly forbidden, the slippery slope could ruin future teams forever, though the issue of the jinchuuriki team placement would be this one exception. And so tomorrow morning Sakura was to report to testing with her new team, Team 10.


	4. Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Timeline for OC's is based off of a timeline I found on wattpad that puts Tobirama Senju's death at 36 years after establishment of Konoha, allowing he's about mid-late 20's to early 30's when he and Hashirama attend gokage summit to disperse the tailed beasts, he'd be in his 60's when he died. His daughter, Mikkirama would be the same age as Kushina, who was 8/9 at that time.

It was 9a.m. and Kakashi-sensei still hadn’t shown his evil face. Naruto was fuming. 

They had shown up at 5a.m. as instructed, Naruto ate a cup of ramen just in case, and neither Sakura or their sensei had shown up. Kira-chan was curled up next to him and sleeping on her bag, completely unbothered by the odd situation. Sasuke-bastard was sitting a few feet away, glaring at their strange teammate and at nothing in intervals. 

Around 10:30, Naruto had had enough and started pacing and shouting. His stomach had already started to rumble and he was worried about Sakura-chan. After a few minutes Kira-chan growled and threw a shoe at him, bouncing off his head and sending him on his ass.

“Ah! What the hell Kira-chan?!” he grumbled, rubbing each of his offended areas with a scowl.

“What are you making all that noise for Blondie?” she mumbled, getting up to grab her shoe and returning to her make-shift bed. “Sit down and conserve your energy. The enemy is waiting us out, gotta keep your head in the game man.” 

“Ugh! You keep saying that Kakashi-sensei is the enemy! That doesn’t make any sense! And what about Sakura-chan dattebayo, she should have been here by now too!!”

“Hn.” The raven agreed.

“I take back all the nice things I said about you idiots yesterday.” She deadpanned sleepily. Both boys looked hurt for a moment before getting angry.

“Oh yeah! Well you probably scared Sakura-chan off with your kunai trick in the classroom yesterday! You keep saying Kakashi-sensei is the enemy but you’re the one acting that way!” Naruto surprised himself with his harsh words but he stood his ground. “Maybe they’re not here because we listened to you and broke the rules and ate breakfast and Sakura-chan didn’t so we failed the test and she passed and now he’s punishing us!” He whined, suddenly afraid.

Sasuke’s anger with Naruto’s harsh words dissipated at that last statement. Oh no. What if the dobe was right? If he made a stupid mistake listening to her just because it was her and ruined his chances of becoming a ninja he was going to lose it. He had come so far and to just throw it all away for a girl who didn’t even seem to remember him…

Her laugh broke the silent horrified musings of her two teammates. They both turned to give her the death look when she finally spoke. “Absolute morons.” She got up and made a hand sign, making two clones she instructed one each to go find their missing teammates and see what was up. The clones nodded and put their hands to the ground, concentrating chakra momentarily before taking off in separate directions. 

Kira sat down and ignored her two brooding companions. She was sure about the food thing with Baka-sensei. She had listened to his wording carefully and re-read the instruction list several times. And she learned all about seeing through deception from her guardians. From her research, she knew the first test was supposed to mimic a real life mission with specific parameters for which the squad would be assembled for. Tracking units tests were typically ones where they had to find their instructor. Likewise, trapping units would have to attempt to corner or outsmart their instructor and render them immobile. 

Their team was obviously an attack unit. Which meant their test would include combat. She was confident in the boys abilities, but from the other girl it would be more difficult. Yesterday all she could sense was that the girl held some significant physical strength (had her blow landed it would have hurt like a bitch), she also had little stamina and chakra reserves. Kira was hoping her chalk tampering would have paved the way for some communication between the two, as she was hoping to get some information out of her this morning over breakfast to better formulate their team. But the pink haired girl hadn’t shown up, and despite her worries Kira had fallen asleep. She absently wondered if she was becoming a narcoleptic.

Naruto’s comments had hit a sore spot. She knew she fucked up when she lost her temper yesterday, and resolved to fix her mistake. She tried to distract them for the time being by bringing out some rice balls she had packed to snack on. Naruto’s stomach growled but he pointedly refused to make eye contact with her or her food. A glance at Sasuke’s way showed he agreed with the blonde.

Sighing, Kira took a large bite out of her food and drank some water she had brought with her. A few bites later, one of her clones released and she made a face. “Son of a bitch!” she growled, standing up suddenly and causing Naruto to jump back with a yelp. “She transferred teams!” she said, looking at the boys with anger and hurt.

“What?!” Naruto yelled pointing at her in fury. “This is your fault! I told you!” Naruto wasn’t acting like himself. How could Sakura-chan leave their team? How would he get her to fall for him now? He was so wrapped up in his fury he didn’t notice the impact his words had on his teammates. 

Sasuke sat motionless. Honestly, he was shocked that Sakura had switched teams and not simply just dropped out. She was book smart sure, but she lacked any real shinobi skills, so in a way he was relieved. At least, until he looked over at Kira and saw she was about to cry, her face contorted in anger as Naruto flung words at her like kunai. 

She stood there and held her tongue. Sakura’s parents had told her exactly why the pinkette was no longer on their team. It was because of her and her cursed clan, but also because of Sasuke and Naruto too. They were worried that the man who killed Sasuke’s clan would return to finish him off, and they hated Naruto’s existence. They had called him a demon child, and wanted their daughter as far from them all as possible. Kira’s clone had lost its temper (she really needed to catch up on sleep or else) and had maybe threatened Sakura’s parents with dismemberment by lightning if they spoke about her friend that way ever again. 

When Kakashi showed up, he felt like he was interrupting a teen drama unfolding before his very eye. Kira’s clone had tracked him down and threatened his manhood if he didn’t show up right this minute. During the ‘conversation’, Kira’s clone froze and went from angry to sad to serious. She recommended sending a med-nin to the Haruno house, and told Kakashi he could explain what happened to Sakura because he was late and had wasted their time when they could be training. He had shown up just after she left, and stumbled upon a sight. Where just yesterday, these genin showed promise of working together, now they were all giving one another looks of pure fire. Kakashi sighed, resigned to another year of freedom from responsibility.

“Good morning class!” he waved happily.

Three faces turned to him in united anger now directed at him. “You’re late!” Yeah, maybe he spoke too soon. 

“Mah, as you may have noticed, we are short one team member.” Naruto huffed and glared at Kira, who had replaced her mask of indifference. The Uchiha boy was trembling. Hmm…interesting. “Miss Haruno will not be re-joining us. You three have until noon to get these bells. If you don’t get a bell, you get tied to a stump while the rest of us eat lunch, then sent back to the academy for another year of school. You may use any means necessary to get a bell.”

No one commented on the fact that there were only two bells. Instead the two boys glanced over at their female companion with apologetic looks. Perhaps they had already decided she would be the odd man out. They each took a defensive stance and faced him. Naruto, without preamble, launched himself at Kakashi with kunai in hand. Kakashi easily grabbed the boy’s wrist and twisted him around to face the others. “I didn’t say to start yet.”

He carelessly launched the boy at the others, who caught him reflexively. Naruto aggressively threw them off and growled about not needing their help. The Uchiha boy scoffed and returned focus to their sensei, while the girl remained emotionless. Her calculating eyes had never left Kakashi. 

“Begin.”

 

An hour later, the alarm went off and Kakashi was tied to a stump while his three evil genin sat around him swapping bento’s. 

He had definitely been wrong. 

While Naruto had attacked him immediately with clones, the other two had disappeared from sight and sense completely. He meant to dish out a quick lesson to the brash orange-clad ninja-wannabe in front of him before going hunting for the others, but he never got the chance. The clones just kept coming. 

Meanwhile, apparently, the other two had grabbed a clone and hashed out a quick evaluation, apologies, truce and plan before dismissing him, consequently transferring the information back to the original, who never once ceased his barrage of feral clones. 

Before he knew it, Kakashi had stumbled upon a couple traps. Then a few more. Then a minefield. By the time he escaped his hair was singed thanks to the Uchiha’s fireball jutsu and the Senju’s lightning sparks. His clothes were burned in odd places and he was starting to get annoyed. He brought out the sharingan only to be assaulted with more traps and fire and lightning and dear Kami more fucking clones. 

He had attempted to break them apart. It was clear they had teamwork down after one afternoon of practice, and despite how impressed he was he was here to test them on more than that. So he taunted them with Sakura’s abandonment. It had been the catalyst that had broken their short lived friendship earlier, it might destroy their truce again.

Again, he was wrong.

Telling the truth about Sakura had only enraged them. And he was sorry for that, oh so sorry. The evil little genin had been so angry that they took a hostage. And it was then Kakashi knew he had lost.

The hostage of course, was his sacred text. One minute he was laughing about how Sakura had been smart to want to leave a team with an orange monster, a dead-boy-walking, and a cursed girl. It was only a matter of time before an enemy targeted one or all of them, and they would all die. She would be safer with another team, a team of real shinobi.

The next minute, he had fallen into an impossibly deep pit surrounded by all manner of sharp pointy things and a chaotic web of ninja wire strewn with paper bombs. Above him, three figures stood with fierce looks upon their faces as they looked down at him. The Uzumaki held in his hand a hostage, the Uchiha, a barely controlled flame in his hand, dangerously close to said hostage. Kakashi felt his entire body become drenched in sweat.

“Toss up the bells or the book gets it.” The Senju coldly demanded. 

Kakashi untied the bells quickly and tossed them up. The Senju caught them gave the ok, Uchiha huffed and extinguished his flame while Uzumaki tossed the book carelessly into the pit. Kakashi moved quickly to secure it, setting off a paper bomb chain reaction and barely escaped with his junk intact. And when he finally made it out, exhausted and proud and maybe a bit overwhelmed, he was promptly grabbed and tied to a stump, his hands tied into fists so he couldn’t perform hand signs. The rope, surprisingly, was chakra binding. It was a bit overkill.

When the alarm went off he asked which of the two would get a bell, he was answered with laughter. It was pointed out that they had gotten the bells together and would be sharing them with one another but not him. Naruto wanted custody split between them with two-days a week each and alternating Sundays, Sasuke agreed if he got the first Sunday and Kira said she was fine with that, adding that the days should be consecutive to avoid confusion and they could go oldest to youngest in the rotation. They shook on it and the bells were tossed to Sasuke who accepted them with a smirk. 

So technically they all had the bells, while he did not, which is why he was tied to the stump as per his own rules. 

He didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

 

After severely underestimating his students and his talk with the hokage, Kakashi resolved to taking his role as their teacher seriously. He was hoping to blow this off, but it was clear that was not going to be able to happen.

The Haruno’s did have a point after all. The combination of Uzumaki, Uchiha and Senju had been dangerous when it was their mothers, but now all three were the last among their clans. A jinchuuriki, an avenger, and an evil princess. They all had targets on their backs, both within and outside of the village. They were strong, but in order to survive the world they would need to be stronger. 

But first, he needed them to listen. He released himself from his bonds and stood before them. They were all orphaned and had a clear dislike of authority. That needed to be fixed. They needed to trust him. So he did the one thing he never wanted to do with another person ever, let alone three. He told them about himself.

There at the memorial stone, he told them who he was. An arrogant prodigy. Son of an infamous shinobi who had taken his own life in shame. Kira’s eyes went colder as he continued. He was a student of the fourth hokage, and had lost both of his teammates due to his own misguided pride and mistakes. Sasuke had been especially attentive during the time he spoke about Obito, the wild Uchiha whom with his rivalry had been one-sided, and had gifted him his sharingan eye. Naruto shed some tears at that, especially when he told them how Rin died, forced into becoming a jinchuuriki and a human bomb. Her sacrifice to save the village still haunted him as much as the others.

“Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends, are worse than scum.”

He looked at the genin before him who gazed back determinedly. He could see the weight of his words sinking in as the nodded. Sasuke stepped forward and placed a hand on top of the memorial stone opposite of Kakashi and looked to the others. Kira walked over and bent down, running her hand along some names before coming to two, putting a hand on each. Naruto joined them and instead of putting his hands on the stone, he put on each of his teammates shoulders. Kakashi eye smiled and suddenly wrapped them all in a group hug, eliciting grunts and groans of protest.

“Oi, Baka-sensei, I have a question.” Kira mumbled into his shirt where he had her pressed. He sighed at the name and released them, giving her the nod to continue. “What about Cherry-darling? Is there a way to convince the hokage and her parents to change their minds? I think we’re all strong enough to keep her safe, and maybe that will help disprove their fears of us.”

Before he could answer Naruto but in. “I don’t think it’s a good idea Kira-chan. Sakura-chan’s parents were right, it would be too dangerous for her to be on our team.” During the test Naruto had felt guilty about his part in Sakura-chan’s decision and for blaming Kira-chan. He couldn’t help being the kyuubi holder, and had felt bad that his being on a team endangered his teammates. Before he could wallow though, Kira-chan had appeared by his side and explained to both him and Sasuke that she didn’t care about the nine-tailed fox inside him or the psycho-clan killer who may or may not come after Sasuke. They were her friends and teammates she wasn’t going anywhere, and if they were done fucking around they had some porn to steal. 

“I agree with the dobe.” Sasuke stated, causing Naruto to whip around to look at him. “Even if she isn’t as strong as us, there is still no need to put her in unnecessary danger. She’ll be safer on another team. It’s for the best.” He didn’t want to add that things would be less annoying without her hanging on him every five seconds, but there was also the part of him that knew he should keep his mouth shut about that. Hearing the things Kakashi had said about him and his teammates had given him a view on what others perceived them as. He had been shocked to learn that Naruto held the Kyuubi inside him, but it explained why the villagers treated him so badly. That alone fueled his anger. Naruto was clearly not a homicidal fox demon, he was a ramen-loving goofball, anyone could see that. And if Kira’s clan was cursed then his was too. But as serious the villager’s prejudices and fears of them were, one fact remained above all. They were a threat. A strong and dangerous team, solely capable of keeping one another safe. Anyone else wouldn’t stand a chance, let alone keep up. 

Kakashi observed his female student’s brow furrow as she looked up to him for confirmation. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pretended not to notice when she flinched. “They’re right Kira-kun. Haruno will not only be safer on another team, but she will grow at a steadier pace with those on her level. Don’t worry about her, she’ll be ok.” She nodded and once again fixed her face into blankness. Kakashi removed his hand and clapped. “Now then! Should we begin with some training exercises?” he asked with an evil gleam in his eye. The genin shared a wary look before steeling themselves and facing him.

Oh, he was definitely going to have fun with them now. Payback is a bitch. 

 

Several hours, dozens of bruises, a few cracked ribs, one black eye and a bloody fist later, Team 7 made their tired way to Ichiraku’s ramen stand. Naruto climbed up into his chair with considerable effort, groaning as his ribs repaired themselves. His teammates joined him on either side, each equally exhausted. Kira leaned up against the wall, her right eye varying shades of black, purple, dark blue and green. Sasuke’s fist was wrapped in bloody bandages cradled against his chest. 

The owners of Ichiraku’s gasped as the genin sat down. Teuchi hollered for Ayame to grab some ice packs and proceeded to start on their orders, as Naruto insisted ramen was more important that ice and demanded ordered three specials stat. Ayame returned and asked what happened.

“Payback.” Kira answered as she held the ice pack to her eye.

“Payback?” Teuchi repeated.

The three nodded somberly. “We beat the hell out of Kakashi-sensei in our genin test. Then after he had us do some training and went all out. He got us all pretty good.” The blonde replied.

“Hn.” Was all Sasuke could muster. Pretty good was an understatement. Kakashi had slaughtered them. He held nothing back as he literally beat humility into his students. Sasuke’s ribs were cracked and he his hand was fucked. After a few hours of attempting tree-walking, Kakashi had decided to take a break and move on to something else. He had used a genjutsu wherein he took on the appearance of Sasuke’s older brother, the man who murdered his clan and the man whom Sasuke hated most of all and was sworn to kill. Even knowing it was an illusion, Sasuke didn’t hesitate before launching himself into a fight, getting kicked in the chest and thrown into some trees repeatedly. Finally, he saw the man standing still, and put all his strength into punching that man’s face. Only too late he realized, it wasn’t His face or even Kakashi-sensei’s that he had punched, it was Kira’s. 

Kira, meanwhile, had been working on releasing the genjutsu Baka-sensei had cast on her. She stood frozen in the middle of the training grounds surrounded by dozens of dead bodies, bloodied and broken and clawing at her flesh while screams of torture and agony deafened her. However, her chakra was still so chaotic from that cursed jutsu that she couldn’t focus it to release the genjutsu. If it was a matter of using ninjutsu, she could do that easily. When it came to physical defense and offense, the chakra cooperated. But apparently genjutsu was another thing entirely. As she concentrated, she was so absorbed in what she was doing she didn’t notice Ducky-chan coming straight for her. The next thing she knew there was a loud crunch, pain, and the genjutsus broken on both of them. She was laying in the grass with a feral raven straddling her and fists raised for a second blow when she yelled at him to stop. He froze above her with a look of pure horror on his face. She was angry but had tried to tell him it was fine, an accident and she would live. He still wouldn’t look at her.

Naruto’s genjutsu had been awful. The villagers surrounded him with taunts and pitchforks, calling him names and demanding his death. His first instinct was to run and hide, he didn’t want to hurt them, he wanted to protect them, why couldn’t the understand that? He yelled and yelled but they didn’t listen. Then he remembered what was going on, this wasn’t real. This was a training. Kakashi-sensei was testing them. He got angry then and started fighting back, yelling for the grey-haired bastard to stop hiding and fight him like a man. Several villagers then transformed into shadow clones of his sensei, and Kakashi’s payback beating was rendered. By the time the genjutsu was released, Naruto had several cracked ribs and a smile on his face. He was in pain but he felt more alive than ever. This had been fun. He never had anyone to train with before, and now he had a whole team willing to go all out against him, who liked and supported him, making him stronger than he was the day before. It was awesome.

Teuchi and his daughter Ayame eyed the three children warily before accepting their brief explanation and going back to cooking. This was a village of ninja, and they had seen their share of weirdness. This certainly wasn’t the last of it.

A while later, the three made their way to Naruto’s place to get themselves fixed up. He had been nervous about them coming over, never having received guests or even been a guest before, but they both insisted it was ok. Well, Kira-chan had insisted. Sasuke-bastard initially didn’t want to come but changed his mind when Kira-chan wrapped an arm around Naruto’s shoulder and told the Teme to heal his own hand then or better yet to visit the hospital, she was sure there was some sexy nurse that could help him out there. The look of jealousy on Sasuke’s face warped into fear and he grunted, turning to follow the other two towards Naruto’s place.

When they got there, Kira collapsed on the floor while Naruto ran around trying to tidy up as best as he could, laughing embarrassedly and mumbling excuses. Sasuke stood and observed the place with an appraising eye, carefully avoiding Kira. When Naruto was finished Kira sat up and held out a hand for Sasuke to haul her up then dragged him over to Naruto’s kitchen and sat him in a chair. She then pulled out some medical supplies and asked Naruto for a bowl of clean water. 

While she healed him they discussed his other injuries. She gently unwrapped Sasuke’s hand and cleaned his knuckles. She held hands glowing with white chakra over his injuries one by one and he felt relaxed in the comfortable wave of familiar warmth. 

Sasuke’s eyes drifted towards her face, and seeing the eye he had been responsible for made him wince, resulting in a sharp reprimand from Kira and a literal slap on the wrist. Something had snapped inside him then, though he wasn’t sure what. 

Naruto was more observant than people gave him credit for. Like for instance, he could tell the Teme had a thing for their teammate, didn’t know he had a thing, and no clue what to do. It was the same with him when he first started liking Sakura, and he had to figure it out on his own. Speaking of Sakura, man he was sad about her. But instead of letting it get him down it only fueled his fire. He would prove himself to everyone, no matter what. 

As for his new friends, he could also see that Kira-chan was oblivious, which made sense because apparently she hadn’t hung out with anyone her age before. At dinner, Naruto had asked her where she learned from and she explained about living with some no-luck gambler cousin, a fashionable pig, and an over-protective sisterly-figure, all of whom were violent, drunk, crazy, and magnets for trouble. She also said that she left on bad terms, and that they wouldn’t be coming back to the village any time soon. She was kinda odd about it, almost detached. He simply nodded and changed to subject.

Naruto kinda wanted to wait and let the bastard torture himself a bit more, and maybe to get more information about his two teammates. After all, a good ninja got as much information about a target before making a plan. At least, that’s what one of the books a clone read today. He had taken Kira-chan’s advice about utilizing his clones to study, train and of course prank. The only bad part was none of them cleaned. 

When it came to Sasuke, the guy seemed to only learn the hard way anyway. Naruto came to the conclusion that he’s sit back and watch the show for a while, and would only step in if it looked like the Teme needed emergency assistance or he got the balls to ask him. Man between Kakashi-sensei’s books (another two books read by a clone this afternoon) and his two teammates Naruto was developing a dirty mouth and a dirty mind. Yeah, Kakashi-sensei’s books for sure. 

After Sasuke was treated, Kira went over to Naruto and inspected him for any left-over injuries before taking care of them. Then she went to his bathroom where the mirror was so she could heal her eye, returning looking good as new. Naruto, feeling mischievous, gave her a big hug after to thank her for healing him, calling Sasuke an ungrateful bastard. Sasuke felt irritation with the dobe swelling before Kira interrupted. 

“Ah well, he can thank me by walking me home. It’s getting late and I’m beat. We still on for tomorrow morning?” She asked, addressing both of them.

“Of course. Kakashi said we have until noon to practice before he shows up with our bullshit D-rank.” Sasuke drawled, trying to seem as indifferent as possible. 

“Yeah, then comes the fun stuff!” Naruto punched a fist in the air, pumped for Kakashi’s rough brand of melee fighting. They’d be doing drills that at four of them came up with to keep them well-rounded. It wasn’t going to be as bloody as the after training, which meant not as fun. 

“Yosh!” she smiled and clapped. “Let’s get a move on Ducky-chan! Naru-chan needs his beauty sleep and I’ll turn into a radish after midnight!”

“What! Why am I Naru-chan now? Blondie was better!” Naruto cried, shaking Kira like a doll.

She laughed and pinched his cheeks. “Because you’re Naru-chan obviously!”

Naruto groaned and Sasuke spoke up. “While on the subject of changing your odd nicknames-”

“Not a chance Ducky-chan!” Kira sing-songed while still squeezing Naruto’s cheeks painfully. 

“Uggghhhhhh!” Naruto groaned. “Please get out of my house now.” He said pleadingly, giving Sasuke sad puppy eyes.

Sasuke sighed dramatically. “You owe me one usuratonkachi” he said before walking over to Kira and grabbing her hand, yanking her towards the door despite her protests of not being done playing with the whiskers. 

Naruto ran over and shoved her shoes on before pushing them both out the door, sighing and sagging on the floor in relief. He rubbed his poor cheeks, “physical strength as a weakness my ass!” he shouted.

 

Once outside, Sasuke pulled Kira up towards the roof and they started hopping across them towards her apartment. Once outside her door, Sasuke stopped her from going inside with a sudden hand on her forearm. She turned to look at him questioningly, and he dropped his hand to the side.

“Kira, I-”

“If you want to talk about something you can come inside, it’s cool. I’ll just make some tea, ok?” she asked. He nodded and followed her into her small apartment. Sasuke was surprised it was as smaller than Naruto’s, just one room with a futon, bookshelf, table, closet, some plants, kitchen area and a bathroom. “Before you say anything, I requested the place with the cheapest rent available. It was between this and something a lot worse. I wasn’t trying to over-pay rent on a place I won’t be spending much time in anyway, you know what I mean?”

He raised an eyebrow and nodded. Yeah, that made a lot of sense. As ninja they were always out training or on missions. He remembered his family members were all usually busy growing up. He shoved that quickly down, remembering what he came to talk to her about. “It’s smart. And your place is nice.” He added quickly. 

Kira smiled thanking him and offered his cup, he took it and they shared a few moments of silence. He looked over and she seemed as always unbothered by her environment. She looked back at him and he realized she was waiting for him to speak. “About earlier,” he began.

“Let me stop you right there. Normally, I’d let you say whatever you felt like saying until you were done saying it before I spoke, but if you’re going to apologize again for that killer punch then save it Duck.” She put down her tea and placed her hands in her lap. “We are ninja.” She said calmly, maintaining eye contact. “Pain, loss, death, suffering. These are all things we have chosen to live with. If we are going to be on a team, we are going to hurt one another, and that’s ok. We need to hurt one another. That way, when we face our enemies, we will be stronger for our pain and kinder for our suffering.”

Sasuke stared. Maybe she was right. Naruto had endured years of suffering and misery because of the ignorance of the villagers. And he was still incredibly kind. Stupid, annoying, but kind. Loss and death had made Sasuke strong. But he needed to be stronger still if he was going to beat Him. Her eye was healed, as was his hand. Was he really stronger for it? Was she?

“Besides that, if anyone outside of our team lays a hand on you morons or the one-eyed pervert, pun-intended, then they’ll be the ones who need to apologize. Unless it’s your fault and you deserve it, then I can do nothing.” She finished with a smile and a lazy wave. Sasuke smirked and agreed.

“Fine.” He replied. ‘But if anyone lays a hand on her I’ll kill them’, he thought to himself. “I do have one question.” 

She smiled and took a sip of her tea. “And that would be?” 

He took a deep breath and held her gaze. “Do you…do you remember me?”


	5. Ninja Life

Training had been rough. Like rougher than rough. And the masochistic little genin loved it.

Every morning at 5 they started off with “The Basics”. Stretches, followed by one set of a hundred each of push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, pull-ups, and squat-kicks, with a lap around the village between each set. Kakashi had made them wear weight vests under their shirts, increasing the weight and adding another set of a hundred exercises each week. 

Then came the chakra control exercises. So many trees were harmed in the making of Team 7. By the time they learned water walking they’d sworn off swimming for at least a year.

After that, they’d get into “Game Time”, which consisted of either weapons accuracy and evasion, sensing and intelligence, or stealth and trapping, depending on the day. Since Sasuke excelled in weaponry, he led their group on those two days. Even though he got off to a rough start communication wise, he had surprisingly turned out to be a good teacher, providing motivation and constructive feedback to both of his companions while still able to improve himself. He’d set up an elaborate obstacle course the night before, with a certain number of targets needed to hit and several triggers to launch weapons. They got more elaborate, which meant more painful, with Naruto’s stealth and trapping lessons. 

Naruto, as it turned out, was a natural talent for setting up evil traps, which probably came from his history of pranking. On his teaching days they’d set out into the village henged as him, because between the bright orange and a village full of people who would rather eat cow piles than to help him out, it was perfect. Kakashi approved of the lesson plan, saying it was like being in an open field in enemy territory. Their objective was to follow clues to find an object Naruto had hidden in the village the night before. The problem was, there were trails of false clues that led to traps, and good clues that led to even better traps, and neither Kira or Sasuke ever walked away completely unscathed. Naruto also wisely used this time to enact some of his own pranks upon random people, for which Sasuke and Kira sometimes paid for in their henged state.

Kira’s games were closer to that of tag meets hide and seek. The boys would have to try to find her using only their senses while she masked her chakra. Once they found her she’d start running. If one of them caught her, she was it and would start chasing the others, who had to hide their chakra as well as themselves somewhere in the forest near the Uchiha training grounds. Kakashi added hiding and tracking scents after two weeks, which Naruto excelled at thanks to the Kyuubi. 

And that was another thing. Sasuke had brought them all to the Uchiha training grounds on their first day. The first morning they met at the memorial stone, Sasuke shocked them by stating that he wanted them to do their private training there, away from everyone else. The afternoon training with Kakashi could be done at the regular training grounds. Naruto and Kira agreed, and later when they told Kakashi, he patted the raven’s head and gave him a wide smile, thoroughly embarrassing him.

After lunch (if it was your game day you cooked), they’d meet up with Kakashi at the bridge, who, having several hours to get there, still always managed to be at least a few minutes late. Not that they minded but they’d still give him shit for it. 

They had resorted to using all their time wisely, devoting the waiting room period to reading up on tai, nin, or genjutsu’s for their upcoming after-mission-melee session, which featured any one or combination of the three depending on Kakashi’s mood. He’d beat them down relentlessly until after sunset, and they never once complained. Instead, they’d come back the next afternoon mostly healed and ready to do it all over again. It made him glad he insisted on one day a week of no official ninja training, suggesting they use the time to enjoy life. At first they protested, but a quick reminder about how life was fleeting for a ninja and that living was still important, they’d consented. 

Sunday’s somehow then turned into family days. The genin would all go grocery shopping for the week. It had easily turned into a regular thing to share lunch and dinner together, having barely enough strength to make it somewhere to eat after the day was finished and to heal their injuries. A hot meal was enough to give them the strength to trudge home and collapse. Having gotten used to visiting each other’s apartments for lunch, they soon were reminding one another of who needed to pick up what and participating in some friendly bantering.

“You’re about one roll away from having to permanently fuck up a towel Teme! Get the big one!”

“Shit Kira, you better be getting juice. We need to drink something other than green tea woman!”

“Damn it Naru-chan! Put the ramen back we eat enough of it already! And don’t give me that face!”

After marketing, they’d go hang out either in the library, an uncrowded park, or at one of their houses, genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Naruto’s special interest in fuinjutsu quickly spread to the other two, and they’d spend hours experimenting like little mad scientists. 

Later, one of them would go kidnap their sensei and drag him over for dinner, which the four of them ended up making together. Kakashi-sensei was an excellent cook, and his three students were not. The cooking lessons ended up being everyone’s secret favorite, for it was in the crowded kitchen, filled with mostly pleasant smells (if nothing got burnt or forgotten in a food fight), sharp knives and friendly competitiveness that they all found some semblance of peace. They found a rhythm, and it worked. 

The D-ranks were boring, but they used the opportunity to be friendly towards the villagers, despite their feelings towards them, and put their ninja skills to good use where applicable. Naruto’s clones made large daunting tasks easier with a larger crew. Kira’s water Justus came in handing for farming missions. And Sasuke had a connection with cats that made catching Tora, the chronic runaway, a breeze. 

Basically, the fowl-mouthed group of kawaii genin were all monsters. And Kakashi was really starting to like them.

Which is how they ended up in the Hokage’s office to begin with.

 

The Third Hokage was impressed by the change not only in Naruto, but in Sasuke, Kira and Kakashi as well. Naruto was more subdued, contemplative and at the same time his pranks were at an all-time high, both in hilarity and complexity. It was troubling but also, good? The boy had grown up so isolated, Hiruzen had hoped that placing a fourth member on his team would have expanded his chances of making a friend. Even though that hadn’t turned out the way he thought, looking at the three before him who so closely resembled their parents he couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision, especially when Naruto seemed happier now that he had ever seen him before. 

Sasuke was no longer the withdrawn angry child. Now he was friendlier, expressive, and protective of his team members. He had been caught off guard when Kakashi told him that they would be using the Uchiha police training grounds. At first he objected, but since the lands technically belonged to the boy, he could do as he wished. 

He was even more shocked when he learned that Naruto had been researching sealing techniques, and with Kakashi’s help had put up seals around the Uchiha grounds so that only team 7 could enter. And the thought of what Naruto would be getting up do with seals had him lying awake in bed for several days, looking over at the hokage mountain in worry.

Then there was Akirama. The cold girl who had shown up a month ago after her long absence with no recollection of ever being here before. Tsunade’s letter of introduction he received a month before briefly addressed the situation, but focused more on the fact that the girl had a tendency to be distant and both wanted and needed to make some friends. The girl had refused to live in her mother’s home or the isolated Senju compound, electing a small one-room apartment in the middle of the village instead. 

The Haruno’s wanted to press charges against her for electrifying their couch, but he had shut that down, asking if they really wanted to be the people who brought the heir to the Senju clan to court for something so simple as defending her comrades? And just after they had just received such an unprecedented favor from the hokage himself. No, they did not. Though he did warn her after that not to go around threatening villagers, she pretended not to hear him. Now she was just as friendly as Naruto, treating her companions as brothers she had known all her life. 

Kakashi had taken on a role of an elder brother/father figure for all of them. Going so far as to submit a special request, one he was about to grant.

The hokage took a puff of his pipe and eyed the team before him. “I’m assigning team 7 a C-rank escort mission.”

Three heads popped up from their books (this had also turned into a thing, three mini-Kakashi’s running around with their noses in books and kunai at the ready) and waited silently for him to continue. Iruka began to protest beside him, but they still remained silent, all eyes on him. To say he wasn’t impressed would be a lie. 

He put up a hand for silence, and asked for Tazuna to be brought in. As soon as the man walked in, all three genin immediately regretted having honed their sense of smell as the man simply reeked of sake. Naruto and Kira made scrunchy faces and Sasuke scowled.

“They look like a bunch of wet nosed brats.” The man took another couple swigs from his bottle. “Especially…the short one. He’s got-”

“I’ll have you know I’ve grown TWO INCHES this past month, thank you very much!!” Naruto nasally interrupted with two fingers pinching his nose and pointing at the man with the hand holding his book.

“Tsk. And yet you still complain about eating your vegetables dobe.”

“At least he eats a variety of vegetables and doesn’t stockpile tomatoes like there’s about to be a shortage or something Ducky-chan~”

“It would be a good time for me to point out that tomatoes are actually a fruit and not a vegetable Sasu-chan.”

“No one asked you for your opinion Kakashi. And stop calling me that!”

“Baka-sensei is right you know. Perhaps we should invest in some more greens…”

“It’s a joke right? You kids aren’t really ninja, are you?”

“Hey guys, can we kill him and keep the money?”

“Hn.”

“No killing the client you’ve been assigned to protect Naru-chan.”

“Damn it sensei not you too! I’m a boy dattebayo!”

“But you’re both so kawaii!~”

“Not helping Kira-chan!”

The Hokage observed the interaction between Team 7 and Tazuna with a small smile before bursting out in laughter and dismissing them all in a cloud of tobacco smoke. 

 

An hour later the group assembled at the Konoha gates. Naruto was bouncing up and down in pure excitement for his first trip outside of the village, which earned chuckles from Kakashi, a smirk from Sasuke and a cheek pinch from Kira. 

“Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this idiot?”

“Oi! Listen here fuc-”

“Mah!” Kakashi clapped one hand over Kira’s mouth and yanked her away from the suddenly fearful client. “There’s no need for concern. I’m an elite ninja and I’ll be here too.”

“Hey old man! You better show some respect! I’m going to be hokage one day so remember my name! It’s Uzumaki Naruto!”

“Respect you? I don’t think so. Not even if you become hokage.”

“Too bad for you then.” Sasuke spoke up from Tazuna’s side. He and Kakashi had taken buffer positions between their two irritated comrades. “Having that kind of attitude will ruin any chance of future relations with Konoha. You should consider being nicer to our future Orange Hokage.”

Tazuna didn’t reply, but Kakashi and Kira shared a look and Kakashi released his hold on her.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and looked over at Sasuke with wide eyes. “You…you mean that Teme?”

Sasuke sighed. He looked over at Naruto and smirked. “Hn.”

Naruto smiled widely and jumped onto Sasuke’s back, yelling and hugging him to death. Kira walked over and separated them, laughing and signaling them discretely with two fingers scratching her eyebrow. 

The boys, understanding immediately, playfully shoved Kira away towards Tazuna, who stuck her tongue out at them and took her place by his side. Kakashi fell back, as always secretly observing while reading his literature. Sasuke threatened Naruto and shot an insult about his ramen breath before striding towards the front. Naruto then took his place on the other side of Tazuna and started asking questions about the Land of Waves, some of which Kakashi answered for him. 

Naruto already knew all of this. In fact, he had set up a clone to read up specifically on foreign relations only. Of course there was another who was solely researching female figures and pornography for his new Sexy Jutsu as well, but who’s to say which one had the more important job really.

All four ninja were aware of the two foreign shinobi hiding in the puddle they were passing, yet none broke character. Naruto kept his mask of naivety, Sasuke his brooding scowl, Kira her ambivalence, and Kakashi his normal porn-absorbed absence from reality. 

So no one was surprised when they appeared from “no-where” and apparently killed Kakashi with a weaponized chain. Well, no one except Tazuna, who was quickly snatched by Kira and carried like a bag of rice several feet away before he could fully process the situation. 

Sasuke jumped and threw a kunai pinning the ninja’s chain against a nearby tree, effectively rendering them temporarily immobile and landing on their heads. He flipped over backwards and hit their pressure points, knocking them both unconscious. Naruto dashed forward making a hand sign to summon several clones who took to disarming and booby-trapping their opponents. The look of fear never left Tazuna’s eyes but he couldn’t look away.

“Wha-what is he doing to them?”

“It’s payback.”

“Payback?”

“Hn.”

“Good job minions!” Kakashi poofed and waved cheerily. “You’ve made me so proud!” He choked and pretended to wipe a tear away from his visible eye, earning a scoff from the Uchiha and eye roll from the girl. Naruto came bouncing over with a smile that told them all they needed to know.

Tazuna looked at Kakashi and gaped. “He-you-dead-wha-?”

“Now Mister Tazuna,” Kakashi said in a deadly serious tone, causing the other man to gulp audibly. “I need to speak with you.”

It didn’t take long for Tazuna to confess that he had paid for a lower rank mission because his village was under duress and he couldn’t afford the higher rank. Kakashi thoroughly shamed Tazuna for putting his kawaii monsters in unnecessary peril. There were significant dangers on this mission that necessitated shinobi of a higher caliber. Tazuna hit back with a sob story about a daughter and grandson who would miss him dearly. It was a stalemate. Kakashi sighed and addressed his team.

“Apparently, the Land of Waves is being held hostage by a malicious rich man named Gato. The bridge is necessary for the villages financial independence. We are likely to face stronger enemies, out of genin league, and should probably head back before we get into trouble.” Kakashi drawled.

Naruto bristled. “Fuck that Kakashi-sensei! Since when do we care about getting in trouble anyway?!”

“Language Naru-chan.”

“Hn. Hypocrite.”

“Hush now Ducky-chan, humans are talking.”

“There’s no way we’re going back! We’ve trained too hard! We can handle this mission, right guys!”

“Didn’t you want to kill this asshole earlier?”

“Language Kira-kun.”

“Why is she ‘kun’ and the dobe and I are ‘chan’?”

“I think Baka-sensei is just confused. The porn must be getting to him.”

“We can have an intervention when we get back! Can we focus on the mission guys?” Naruto waved his hands in the air for emphasis. 

Kakashi unconsciously clutched his book to his chest, mumbling ‘not again’ under his breath. 

“C’mon! I know the old drunk is like, a terrible excuse for a human being-”

“Hey! I resent that statement!”

“More like you resemble it.”

“So sassy Ducky-chan!”

Tazuna pouted and Naruto continued. “But we made a promise to fulfill this mission no matter what! And I don’t know about you guys but I keep my promises!” He issued the others a challenging look.

Kira smiled widely. “Yosh! But I reserve the right to kill him after if-”

“No Kira-kun.”

“But what if-?”

“No.” All three males on Team 7 said in unison. 

Tazuna sweat-dropped. 

“Hn. I’m in too. No way I’m letting you two have all the fun.”

“Ya-ta!!” Naruto pumped his fist in the air and slung an arm around each of his two teammates. “You guys are the best dattebayo!” 

“I guess that means we’re committed.” Kakashi sighed. “Well then, let’s get on with it then. Daylight’s wasting.”

Tazuna let out a large breath he had been holding and took chug of his bottle as he followed the three strange ninja children down the road, getting lost in his own thoughts.

 

As the small boat carried Team 7 and their client to shore, everyone was silent. Kira tapped her fingers almost absently, but the slightly stiffened posture of the other three signaled that they had understood. There was an enemy nearby.

“This is as far as I go” said the ferry-man. “Take care of yourself.”

“Thanks...” Tazuna offered the man a smile. “...for taking such a risk. I shouldn’t have asked it.”

“And yet he seems to have no problem risking our lives.” Kakashi pointed out.

“Pshh! I know right?”

“Worst. Client. Ever.”

“Hn. You can say that again.”

“I can hear you guys you know!”

“GOOD.”

Suddenly, Naruto sensed a small chakra signature from their 10 o'clock position and threw a shuriken. “OVER THERE!” he shouted, and everyone turned in defensive positions to find-

“A rabbit?”

“Seriously kid?”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry bunny! Please snap out of it!”

“Usuratonkachi. Stop man-handling it like that.”

“Baka-sensei…”

“EVERYONE TAKE COVER!!”

A loud whooshing noise accompanied a ridiculously large blade that sliced clean through several trees and foliage. Kakashi grabbed Naruto and pulled him down along with the rabbit. Sasuke grabbed Kira and she grabbed Tazuna and the three of them ate dirt. A large, intimidating man landed on the hilt and looked down at his prey menacingly. 

The company of five stood up and took stock of their opponent. Kakashi signaled discretely for the genin to step back into defensive positions while maintaining his relaxed posture.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Momochi Zabuza.” He said, one eye narrowed. He brought a hand up and uncovered his sharingan. “This may be a little rough.”

“Kakashi of the Sharingan.” Zabuza said. “This is an honor. Could you consider surrendering the old man?”

Kakashi took a fighting stance. “Shall we?” he asked.

Zabuza grunted. “It looks like I’m going to have to kill you first.”

The giant blade was dislodged from the tree as Zabuza quickly disappeared. Naruto handed Tazuna the rabbit and the genin readied themselves for Zabuza’s attack.

Their enemy reappeared standing on the lake nearby. “The finest of the ninja arts…the Kirigakure Jutsu!” A thick mist surrounded them, blinding everything from sight. 

“He’ll come after me first.” Kakashi stated. “Remember your training with Kira-kun. Eyes closed, stay focused. Even if he gets to me I’ll still protect you. I will never let my comrades die.”

A disembodied voice came from all around them, “Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein-”

“There!”

Kira grabbed Tazuna and jumped away as Zabuza landed in the space between the genin and their client. At the same time, Sasuke and Naruto turned around to face him.

“Wind Style! Gale palm!”

“Fire Style! Dragon Flame Justu!”

The water clone evaporated in a sizzling mist. Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, slicing his back in two. Kakashi himself evaporated, stunning Zabuza momentarily and giving Kakashi enough time to materialize behind him holding a kunai to his neck.

“Game over.”

“You think it’s over?”

Kakashi, feeling the effects of the sharingan from copying Zabuza’s technique, wasted no time. He took a swipe at Zabuza, who dissolved and another sliced at him from behind. Kakashi ducked and maneuvered himself out of the large sword’s range. The two took to offensive tactics, neither one landing a clean hit.

When Kakashi fell into the water, Zabuza made his move. “Art of the Water Prison!” Kakashi was now trapped in a sphere of water. Zabuza then made another water clone, who proceeded to taunt the genin before him.

Kira cursed. “Let’s go to Plan B!”

From his sphere, Kakashi began to chuckle. Zabuza looked over at him irritated. “And just what is so funny Hatake?”

“You’re about to find out!”

Naruto had made a dozen clones, all of whom charged at Zabuza’s clone with dramatic war cries. Sasuke launched a barrage of shuriken and kunai at the real Zabuza. While neither was defeated, the real Zabuza remained unimpressed. “Shuriken won’t work on me. Is that really-”

“Lightning style! Spider Web!”

Zabuza was hit with the full force of the electrocution, his skin burned in several places. His clone instantly vanished and the real him collapsed, releasing the water prison jutsu. Kakashi stood and faced Zabuza, soaked and deadly. “Your move.”

What followed was clearly Zabuza’s idea of a trump card. A series of hand signs that Kakashi quickly copied and caught up with, until the two shouted simultaneously “Water Style! Water Dragon Missile!”

Two massive dragons faced one another in a show of incredible power. From their position in the trees, Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna were still unable to escape the flood that washed over them. Kira, although soaked, maintained her position in between the two jonin and the others, keeping tabs on the other ninja nearby. A quick glance at her two teammates let her know they were also aware of his presence. 

Zabuza began another series of hand signs, which Kakashi followed at an increased speed. For a moment, Zabuza swore he could see himself standing behind Kakashi, before the man overtook him and beat him to the punch. “Water Style! Giant Waterfall!”

An enormous wave destroyed everything in its path. The chakra he used combined with the electric shock had taken more out of Zabuza than he intended. With a grunt, he smashed into a nearby tree. “What…can you see the future?” he asked Kakashi, exhausted beyond comprehension. 

“I foresee…your death.”

From the hidden ninja, several senbon were launched and embedded in Zabuza’s throat. He collapsed on the ground lifeless. 

“Hehe, looks like your prediction came true!” came a soft voice.

Kakashi went over to check the body, confirming his status as deceased. Meanwhile, Sasuke, Naruto, Tazuna and Kira approached. Naruto and Tazuna were uneasy with seeing the dead body, while Sasuke and Kira remained impassive and vigilant. 

The masked ninja who had killed Zabuza thanked them for their help. Naruto asked if he was a Hunter Ninja, which surprised Kakashi momentarily before he remembered the boy was now taking his education seriously and had for the last few weeks maintained several clones on duty at the shinobi library. 

The strange boy then landed next to the body and excused himself to take care of business. Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion and was about to say something when Kakashi announced they should be on their way. Tazuna laughed and insulted his saviors, again, before Kakashi face-planted into the dirt and scared the bridge builder half to death.

“Baka-sensei.” 

“You said it sister.”

“Is…is he going to be alright?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Teme!”

“Dobe.”

“You’re all morons. Pick him up and let’s go.”

“Ugh. Konoha ninja…what was I thinking?”


	6. Awkwardness

Chakra exhaustion. 

During Sasuke’s one-on-one training with Kakashi, the jonin had explained his abilities and limitations with the sharingan, so the cost of his overuse was not as much of a surprise as it was an inconvenience. Kakashi had announced he would be out of commission for a week, and Kira had called bullshit and used a strange jutsu to transfer some of her chakra into him. Sasuke hadn’t like seeing Kakashi surrounded by the warm white light she emitted, but if it got the man on his feet sooner he’d keep quiet. By the time she was done, Kakashi was as good as new and Kira announced she was going to take another one of her naps.

That was sixteen hours ago.

During that time, Naruto voiced his suspicions about the supposed hunter nin. Apparently he had read that they traditionally disposed of the bodies on the spot. Having done his own research on weaponry, Sasuke pointed out the use of senbon and the vital areas that could be used to cause or mimic instant death. Kakashi had agreed, stating that in all likelihood the two ninja were working together. Which meant that they’d have to prepare to face them again or possibly other stronger ninja sometime in the near future. 

Then Inari, Tazuna’s grandson, announced they were all going to die and should go home now, heroes didn’t exist anymore. The gloomy kid showed up and rained on the ninja’s parade, much to his mother Tsunami’s concern. Naruto, in another rare show of patience, told the kid that heroes still existed and to never give up hope, promising that they’d take down the “cake” man. The kid, of course, didn’t believe a word and ran away crying. 

Sasuke was starting to feel like Shikamaru with all the times “troublesome” was voiced in his head on this mission. He told Naruto to leave it alone and that the kid was just one more person to prove wrong. Naruto, true to form, accepted the challenge.

Now it was dawn. Sasuke had set up his mat on Kira’s right side and Naruto was over on the left, sprawled out like a starfish and snoring away loudly. Unlike the blonde, the raven haired boy hadn’t slept very well, waking up often to their female teammates whimpering in her sleep. At first he tried to wake her by shaking her shoulder softly, but it didn’t work for long, likely due to her temporary chakra exhaustion. However, he noticed the physical contact seemed to dissipate whatever bad dreams she was having, so he decided to reach out and hold her hand that was resting near her pillow. 

It worked, but now he was stuck, red faced and unable to cease the erratic beating of his heart or fall asleep. She had, at some point after he had fallen asleep after the initial hand-holding, pulled his hand towards her and turned over, cradling his hand to her chest. Or more specifically, between her chest.

Sasuke had woken up when he was pulled over closer, and made a choking sound in his throat when he distinctly felt his hand being enveloped by two very soft mounds, fingers laced with hers. His brain short circuited, and the embarrassment that grew between his legs was of no help.

He angled his lower body away from her as much as possible. All he needed was either the dobe or her to wake up and think that he was molesting her or something. Or even worse Kakashi or Tsunami coming in their room to wake them up and they’d end up killing him. His only choice was to try and free his hand without waking her up. Only it wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be.

It was like a Chinese finger trap. Every time he tried to pry himself loose, she’d unconsciously tighten her grip. If it wasn’t for the possibility of death and being branded a pervert he’d have been more than glad to let his hand remain where it was. But he was an Uchiha, with a reputation to uphold, or restore, or something, and he couldn’t just lay there. So he tried to tug again just a tiny bit harder.

And this time it worked. Too well. She rolled over and pressed her face into the other side of the pillow that Sasuke had been forced to share with her due to their awkward spoon positioning. Sasuke didn’t have time to move away or think or anything so…

Her lips were soft. And Sasuke was momentarily frozen in time. A quiet “mmm” came from her throat as she sleepily opened her eyes and closed them again before immediately reopening and staring wide eyed at the large onyx orbs in front of her. 

Sasuke jerked back finally freeing his hand and tumbling back over on his mat. Kira sat up, creases from the pillow lining one side of her face that was completely pink as his own. For an eternity, neither of them spoke. She looked down at her hand, the one he’d been holding, and flexed it experimentally. Her brows furrowed and Sasuke couldn’t find his voice to save his life. Literally.

Finally, she laughed. It was soft and airy and her smile was genuine. Sasuke’s heart thundered and he honestly didn’t know whether to be relieved or to run. She was kinda crazy so the chances were about even. She turned over to look at Naruto and smacked his bare stomach hard. He shot up with a shout and glared murderously at both of them. Sasuke managed to raise a brow in a silent ‘I didn’t do shit’ gesture that the blonde understood, turning his fury to their bi-colored hair companion.

“What the fuck Kira-chan!”

“What the fuck what? It’s time to wake up Naru-chan! We’ve got work to do!”

“Do you even know what time it is?!”

“Um…daytime…obviously.” She rolled her eyes and giggled. “C’mon! That bridge isn’t going to build itself!”

“About that…” Kakashi interrupted from the doorway. Sasuke tried to hide his mortification under his ‘Uchiha mask’ at the way Kakashi’s lone eye lingered on him knowingly. “It appears as though that hunter nin and Zabuza were working together.”

Kira cocked her head to the side, her bed-head hair tumbling about. “The senbon, right?” Their sensei nodded and took a seat right next to Sasuke, causing the raven to inch away discretely. Naruto moved to sit next to Kira and leaned his head on her shoulder, yawning loudly. She put an arm around his head and moved her fingers though his hair absently. “Shizune uses them too. I thought something was off but I figured I was just being too paranoid.”

“We’re ninja. There’s no such thing as being too paranoid.” Kakashi replied. “Well…maybe in rare occasions. But someone will probably say something if it gets that far.” 

“Like sensei with the porn.” Naruto mumbled. Kakashi pointedly ignored him. “Which one’s Shizune again? Your cousin or her niece?”

“Her niece. She’s around Baka-sensei’s age I think.” Naruto hummed. “So what’s the plan then, oh fearless leader?”

The man eye-smiled. “Training of course! You three will need to come up with some more formations now that Plans A and B have been utilized, the enemy will know what to expect.”

Naruto sat up straight and smiled blindingly. “So does that mean you’ll teach us some new jutsu then Kakashi-sensei?!” he asked eagerly.

Kakashi chuckled and hummed. “Mmm…maybe. That depends on whether or not you three think you can each learn an A-rank jutsu in a week.”

The three genin exchanged looks. Sasuke smirked, Kira smiled sweetly, and Naruto grinned. 

Of course they could.

 

Since the inception of their training regiment, Kakashi had taken special care to ensure that each of his students got one-on-one training with him. His usual laissez faire attitude was temporarily shelved during the few hours in which he groomed his charges for ninja-life. 

So for the past few weeks before they embarked on this terrible joke of a C-rank mission, Kakashi had been secretly working them up to where he needed them to be, focusing on chakra control and shadow clone usage, which Naruto had learned from stealing the sacred scroll (Kira thought that was hilarious, Sasuke was begrudgingly impressed, and Kakashi prayed to Kami for his own soul), and Kira had learned from her teacher’s, leaving Sasuke to catch up. The Uchiha succeeded a week prior, which is why he had no doubt they’d all learn their new jutsus in time, therefore boosting their confidence and strengthening their ability to survive against Momochi and future enemies. 

Because if Kakashi lost one more precious person, he’d fall straight into madness. 

He observed his minions entranced in their lessons, Kakashi felt the swelling of pride in his chest. They were beat to hell, tired beyond words, stubborn as mules, and still remained optimistic. And best of all, their desire to protect one another was the driving force for their determination.

 

_He had been worried at first. The blonde craved attention, and saw strength as the way to earn acknowledgment from the village. The raven desired vengeance, and sought only power and death. The girl, admittedly, still worried him. He wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by freedom, but the look in her eyes reminded him of someone else, and if that was what she meant by freedom then…no. He would not allow any of them to lose themselves to darkness._

_Fortunately, things were turning out in his favor. Upon learning about Naruto’s status as a jinchuuriki in the bell test, the main thing he and the hokage had been concerned about after the Haruno incident, the others did not waiver in their commitment. Instead, it reinforced it. He saw in Sasuke’s eyes final understanding, their shared loneliness and isolation from the village bonding them. In Kira, he saw acknowledgment, free from judgement. She easily accepted the two rivals as worthy companions and kept them focused on their goals._

_Naruto had researched his last name that same week, wanting to know if he had any kekkei-genkai like Sasuke. Finding out he was from a renown clan that was famous for its fuinjutsu, massive chakra and longevity was to Naruto the coolest thing ever. Then he learned that their clan and village was wiped out, and it devastated him. It broke Kakashi’s heart to see the boy so lost, but it was his team who brought him back._

_Sasuke took them to his old house, and shared what happened to his family. The senseless massacre and a clan lost to a man Sasuke called ‘brother’. Naruto wept, and promised Sasuke he would help him get justice for his clan. Kira held onto both of their hands, a strange look on her face, and remained silent._

_Kakashi could tell Sasuke was trying to see if she remembered anything, but it still didn’t seem to work. He felt bad for the boy, who so obviously wanted her to recall their childhood, but the hokage had told him and Sasuke when the boy demanded to know what exactly happened to her that whatever jutsu was cast on her would not be so easily broken. Still, it didn’t stop the kid from trying._

_The next day Kira showed up with a dusty scroll she “liberated” from somewhere that showed that the Senju and Uzumaki clans were distant relatives, and that the first hokage, her great-uncle, had married an Uzumaki, therefore making them practically cousins. Naruto cried again and declared Kira his little sister instead, which she thoroughly objected, but Sasuke supported, probably for his own personal motives._

_Finally, Kakashi made the one move that cemented the bond of their team. Two days after Naruto had found out about the Uzumaki clan, Kakashi paid a visit to the hokage and returned with a photo from the archives._

_A blonde, busty young woman in a jonin vest stood with three girls in battle kimonos in front of her, a proud smirk on her face. On the right, a blue-black haired girl with black eyes and a sweet smile. In the middle, a red-headed purple eyed girl with a wide grin. And on the left, a white haired red eyed girl with a smirk. The girl in the middle had her arms folded across her chest in triumph, the ravenette flashing the peace sign and the white haired girl flipping the camera off._

_Sasuke recognized his mother immediately. Kira recognized Tsunade and (surprisingly) her mother too, whom she seemed to have mixed reactions to. Kakashi announced who each of the women in the picture were, and when he revealed Naruto’s mother as the red head in the middle, the boy bawled for the third time in as many days, a mixture of happiness and sorrow._

_After that, Team 7 was unwavering in their commitment to one another. While he had initially been shocked at how easily they seemed to all work together despite their differences in personalities and fighting styles, he was also impressed. He had planned on using the information about their legacy status as a last resort if they drifted apart, but it worked much better as cement._

Now Naruto had about nine clones working in pairs with him on his jutsu, and Sasuke had five working on his. The Uchiha still hated the fact that the blond had more chakra than him, but not-so-secretly took solace in the fact that his control was better since Naruto still struggled with separating his own from the kyuubi’s, and was therefore a bit behind him in progress. Kakashi and his shadow clone remained to supposedly supervise and to make sure Naruto didn’t lose control. Kira had been pissed her jutsu wasn’t was badass as the boys, and but worked just as hard to perfect it. 

After learning her jutsu in half a day thanks to her five clones and the insulting simplicity of it, Kira was sent later to watch over the bridge builder, while Kakashi and the others went back out to train. 

 

Akirama walked around the village, mostly to get away from Tazuna who she still kinda wanted to punch. The guy was just a jerk and his grandson was a brat, but thankfully she had gotten enough sleep so she was able to maintain her temper.

Oh, that’s right. She actually slept last night. 

She touched her lips absently and blushed. What the hell was wrong with her anyway? She never kissed anyone before, even accidentally, so maybe this was just a hormone thing? She should have paid more attention to The Ancient One’s health and medical nin lessons, but it had all been so boring. She was a fighter, not a healer. It had been one of the reasons they clashed so often, and why Shizune ended up doing most of her re-training.

Now with Sasuke, she was worried things would get weird. It didn’t take her long to figure out what had happened. While she wasn’t expecting them to share a room with her, she had forgotten about the trouble her nightmares caused others, and figured that he had tried to comfort her in some way. At home, she usually held onto another pillow while she slept, and probably mistook his hand as that in her sleep. As for the kiss, it was clearly an accident. She could feel her hand was cramped from holding his, which meant he was likely forced into her personal space. Now she just didn’t know how to address it.

And it all came back to that night he had asked her if she remembered him. The look on his face when she had told him no was enough to make her explain her situation in bare bones. 

 

_“I’m sorry, but I actually don’t remember anything from before a year ago.”_

_Sasuke looked up at her with barely concealed confusion. “How? What happened?”_

_She rubbed her face tiredly and sighed. “Honestly, I can’t be sure other than there was some kind of jutsu involved. My first memory is kind of like a horror movie. It comes back to me in bits and pieces sometimes, but for the most part all I can remember is blood and screams. A few days after that, it’s just travelling with my cousin, the pig and her niece. They trained me sometimes, but mostly I was on my own. I think I preferred it that way since they were all basically strangers to me. They told me when I announced I wanted to come here to become a ninja that I had been born here, but not many people knew me since my mom was apparently a bit anti-social as well. I didn’t expect you to be one of the people who knew me though. I’m really sorry.”_

_Sasuke remained silent as he contemplated her words. “So…you can’t remember anything from the first eleven years of your life?”_

_Kira shook her head. “Nothing about myself or anyone else. I remembered how to speak, read, write, and when I was re-trained in things like kata’s and ninjutsu it came back almost like muscle memory. But I didn’t even know my name when I woke up. If it wasn’t for a few pictures we carried around with us and the fact that my body seemed to recognize their chakra, I wouldn’t even have known for sure they all were who they said they were.” She laughed bitterly._

_His fists gripped his shorts tightly and he looked angry. She reached over and put her hand on one of his. He looked up at her startled and she offered him a small smile. “Will you tell me about it? Our past?”_

 

A hand grabbing her ass knocked her out of her reverie quicker than a flash and she turned around and gripped the bastards hand and flipped him on his back. She held a kunai to his private area and glared. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing you old pervert!?”

The man’s whole body shook and he looked as if his soul was leaving his body. When he failed to speak Kira punched his face, knocking him out and dragged him over to a nearby bench. Angry, she stalked away when she soon felt another presence by her back side. She spun around only to find a child begging for food. Instantly, her fury dissipated and she reached into her back to pull out her bento. The child took it and happily ran away, leaving Kira to observe how bad the conditions were in this village. 

Cursing, she summoned four more shadow clones (she had left one to watch over the old asshole earlier), and sent them out into the village to look for some D-rank volunteer work. Gato definitely needed to go, but it was clear that the village had more than the tyrant problem that needed attention.

 

Later that night at the dinner table, things were a bit tense. The boys were having some sort of ‘friendly’ competition again, and she was pissed at Kakashi for teaching her such a lame jutsu. Even if it was technically A-rank, she felt a bit left out and jealous of her teammates. She avoided Tsunami for personal reasons, Tazuna was drinking again and Inari was still being a little butthead.

“So…uh…Kira-chan, how was your day?” Naruto asked hesitantly.

She was busy glaring daggers at their sensei, who was pretending he didn’t notice. “Not as interesting as yours, I’m sure.” 

Naruto winced. “Oh c’mon, you got to see the village right? Anything interesting happen?”

She turned to look at her friend and sighed. He was trying to ease the tension in the room, and it wasn’t his fault their sensei was being a sexist jerk. “Some old fuck face grabbed my ass on the street. Some kids were begging for food. And the villagers are on the verge of total poverty. My clones and I helped out who we could, but I’ll need to get back to it tomorrow.” She said emotionlessly. 

Naruto had dropped his chopsticks and Sasuke looked like he was going to murder someone. Kakashi had looked up from his book and narrowed his eye at her. “Kira-kun,” Kira looked over at him with a blank face.

“Did you kill him?”

She could feel everyone’s eyes on her. Really? She wasn’t a homicidal maniac. Is that really what he thought of her? Is that how they all saw her? Sure, she had a temper when she didn’t get enough sleep, but the only time she threatened anyone seriously was if they hurt her teammates, like that shop owner in Konoha who had called Naru-chan a monster under his breath when they went clothes shopping. The look on Naru’s face was enough to make her come back later and have a ‘gentle’ conversation with the man. In general, she usually didn’t care what happened to her, as long as her guys were ok. 

Still, the insinuation was enough to hurt. ”No.” The look of relief flashed across several faces. She got up and grabbed her bowl and handed it to her blonde teammate. “I’m not that hungry, you can finish this for me. I’m going to check the perimeter.” 

Not leaving room for comment she shunshined away. Hiding her chakra and her scent, she made her way to a deserted beach area and decided to go for a swim. The water always calmed her anyway. 

 

Back at the house, another awkward silence reigned. Sasuke made a move to follow but Kakashi held out a hand to stop him. Naruto coughed and looked around trying to find something to distract everyone when his eyes landed on a photo. 

“Oh hey Tsunami-chan! Is that your family photo? Why is it torn? It looks like someone’s face is missing.”

“…”

“That’s Inari’s father.” She replied.

Another awkward silence and increased tension. Naruto’s eyes flickered to the boy who looked ready to cry.

“Once upon a time…” Tazuna began. “…our entire village called him a hero.”

The small boy slammed his fists on the table and ran upstairs. Tsunami turned to her father and shouted angrily before following him. Tazuna sighed and shared the story about a man who was honest and brave and had earned a place in his daughter’s and grandson’s hearts as well as his own. The entire village hailed him as a hero, as he was the only one brave enough to stand up against Gato, and he was mercilessly killed for it. It broke Inari’s heart and the boy hadn’t been the same since.

Kakashi and Sasuke were stunned. But as usual it was Naruto who spoke up. “I’m going to do some more training. I’m going to prove to Inari that heroes still exist!” He got up and marched out of the house, heading towards the training grounds. 

Kakashi sighed. All three students were out of sorts. Normally, he’d leave them to work it out on their own. They were ninjas, not regular children after all. But…they were still children, they were his responsibility, and they were all one another had, himself included.

He looked up to the ceiling. What would Minato-sensei do? He asked himself. He was at a loss. He turned to the last Uchiha glowering at the bowl in front of him. “Sasu-chan, let’s go for a walk.”

The raven stood and reached for his bowl. “Don’t worry about that kid, I’ll take care of it.” Tazuna may have been drunk but he wasn’t blind. The boy grunted and Kakashi nodded his thanks before the two left outside. 

 

Sasuke followed his sensei around for a few minutes. He reached his senses out to try and locate his missing teammates. Naruto was somewhere near the training grounds, working with a single clone. When he couldn’t locate Kira he began to worry.

“She’s fine, Sasu-chan.” Kakashi’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked over with a scowl and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

The two walked in silence for a few more minutes before they came to a cluster of rocks. Kakashi took a seat on one and leaned his back against another boulder. Sasuke sighed and went to sit nearby before Kakashi patted the spot next to him. Wary, the boy paused for a moment before acquiescing. 

Looking over at his stoic student, Kakashi was reminded even more of his former self. He took a deep breath, and began speaking. “You know…I was in love once.”

The boy snapped his head to attention and stilled, brows raised in question. Kakashi smiled sadly and nodded. “Unfortunately, I never got the chance to tell that person how I felt before they died. I was too consumed by my own selfishness to see past my own desire, that I didn’t even realize how I felt about them until it was too late.”

He was expecting the boy to remain silent as usual. So when he heard the boy clear his throat to ask a question, Kakashi was pleasantly surprised, if not pleased. “Will you tell me about it?” he asked.

Kakashi smiled and settled in. “Of course.”

 

Kira retuned to a quiet house. She was tired from swimming, her skin tight from the seawater and there was sand in her hair. She checked her senses to find that Naruto was off at the training grounds and the other two were a bit further but together. Seriously, they all just left? She scoffed and went to take a quick shower. She was on her way back to her room when she noticed the light on in Tsunami’s room. Pausing, she knocked and shortly the woman slid the door open. Her eyes were a bit puffy as if she was crying.

“Ano…Tsunami-san, can I speak with you about something?”

She nodded and slid the door open a little wider. Kira followed her in and the two sat down. Red eyes landed on a photo of a man with a black ribbon across. 

“Your husband?” she asked.

Tsunami nodded and sniffled. Kira hated seeing people cry. It stirred something in her she couldn’t identify. She reached a hand out and held Tsunami’s in her own. The woman squeezed and began sobbing, latching herself onto Kira. 

Akirama was not comfortable. Ever since the incident she refused to speak about, the one that changed her life forever in too many ways to be acceptable, she hated women touching her in anyway. The boys on her team were different, she knew they wouldn’t hurt her and she felt safe with them. Baka-sensei was a bit off but she was ok with the occasional closeness there too. But women, especially mother figures, were out of the question.

She knew it was a weakness, and was consciously trying to move past it. It was one of the reasons she had approached the woman of the house in the first place for an attempt at conversation. But now, she was forced into the one position she couldn’t stand. The one where she felt the most vulnerable.

Now, with the strange lady sobbing and holding onto her, Kira was internally panicking. She fought the urge to let out a burst of Ki and run for her life. Hesitantly, she put her arms around Tsunami and patted her gently in a ‘there-there’ manner, hoping that would be enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until a few hours later, with choked sobs and broken sentences about the man she had lost randomly strewn together, that she finally passed out. Kira stood, legs stiff from her kneeling position and tucked the woman in before fleeing the room silently. 

She had felt Baka-sensei and Ducky-chan return an hour or so ago, but Naruto was still out training. While she would have joined him to keep him company, she was exhausted and in need of rest. She made her way to her room when she noticed that he was in there, on the mat next to hers. 

The steadiness of his breathing and chakra let her know he was asleep, but Kira was filled with a certain amount of anxiety. Last night was a regular nightmare, but tonight was bound to be worse. She couldn’t put that on him. Not to mention the whole kiss situation…She quickly grabbed her mat and pillow and fled to her sensei’s room. Going back to Tsunami’s room was out of the question, and was still mad at Baka-sensei, but at least she felt safe with the man. 

 

She set her mat up next to him and shook his shoulder. He was awake already, of course, but was waiting to see what she would do. He opened his eye and looked at her, expecting normal teenage girl anxiety after an awkward kissing situation that Sasu-chan had confessed to him earlier about. What he got instead was a look of fear and sadness and aging beyond her years. Concerned, he sat up immediately and reached a hand out.

“Kira-kun, what-”

“Kakashi-nii, can I stay here with you tonight? Please?” her voice was so soft and a bit broken and he didn’t immediately register that she had addressed him by his name, let alone as elder brother. He nodded and brought her in for a hug. She buried her face in his chest and began to cry silently. He laid there awake for a long time after she fell asleep, shirt damp and head full of questions and worry. 

 

They awoke just before dawn the next morning, Kira still wrapped in her sensei’s arms. She remembered calling him elder brother and blushed before burying her face deeper into his arms. Yes, he pissed her off sometimes. And yes, he was her teacher. But she also felt safe with him, and found herself looking up to him not only as a teacher but as a family member. A big brother. 

It was a strange feeling. She hadn’t felt that closeness with either of the woman who were her actual family either. So she didn’t regret her feelings towards Kakashi, but she was still kind of embarrassed for displaying such vulnerability. It was very un-ninja-like and didn’t help her issue with him taking her as seriously as her male teammates.

She peeked up to look at him and saw he was looking back with a small smile. “So…you sleep with the mask on too? Afraid Lord Morpheus the Sandman will see your face?” She asked jokingly.

Kakashi chuckled. “How did you know?”

Kira shook her head and sat up, rubbing her dry eyes. She turned to look out of the window at the looming sunrise. 

The gray haired man studied her for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. 

She sighed, feeling the weight on her shoulders bearing down. “No, but I think I should before it consumes me whole.” She said so quietly he almost didn’t hear it. She turned her head to look at him. “Did I…um…make any noises in my sleep?” 

He knew she was referring to the whimpering Sasuke had mentioned the night before. He shook his head. “No, you didn’t make a sound…other than your snoring of course.” He laughed.

Kira’s eyes widened at that. “I do not snore!” she whisper-yelled, crossing her arms in indignation.

He laughed and scratched his head. “Hate to break it you Kira-kun, but you snore like a jack-hammer.”

A pillow slammed into his face and feathers burst everywhere. 

 

Naruto awoke to the pleasant sound of birds chirping, the smells of ocean breeze, trees and flowers, the feeling of a hand on his shoulder and the timbre of a smooth soft voice.

“You’ll catch your death, sleeping on the ground.”

He opened his eyes to see the most beautiful girl he’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

“Who are you?” he asked, sitting up.

The girl giggled and introduced herself as Haku. She was there to pick some medicinal herbs, and being a gentleman and a friend to all, Naruto volunteered to help. 

After a while, they engaged in some friendly conversation. Haku recognized him as a ninja by his headband, which made him beam in happiness. 

“What are you training for?” Haku asked.

“Well, originally I was training to get stronger to prove to everyone in my village that I’m not worthless, and to become Hokage one day.” He began. 

Haku looked on intrigued.

“But now…now I’m training to protect the people who care about me. I won’t let anything bad happen to my comrades.” He said, quoting Kakashi-sensei’s earlier words. Their team was around each other so much they tended to use each other’s words and phrases often, sort of like inside jokes.

The girl smiled. “Do you have anyone special in your life?”.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah yeah! I have a few precious people in my life. My teammates are like my family. All of us are orphans, but we’re all really close and care about one another. Kakashi-sensei is like my big brother, Sasuke-Teme is like a brother too, and Kira-chan is like my little sister.

Haku nodded and smiled just a bit brighter. “When people are protecting something truly precious to them…they truly can become as strong as they must be.”

Naruto laughed and smiled widely, offering a thumbs up. “Yup! I know all about it!” he said. Then paused a moment. He suddenly recognized Haku’s chakra, he was the boy pretending to be a hunter nin! The one who was working with Zabuza! But wait…the way he was talking about protecting someone precious…could that mean-?

Haku got up to leave but Naruto quickly followed. “Wait!” he said. “You…you’re the boy from before right?” he asked hesitantly.

Haku stiffened but Naruto waved his hands. “It’s ok I just want to talk to you! Please?”

Naruto could see the other boy considering his words before nodding.

“Look, I’m…I’m pretty sure your precious person is Zabuza, right? And I may not look it, but I’m actually smarter than people think I am. I read up on this Gato guy earlier, and from what I’ve gathered it’s a pretty safe assumption that he isn’t going to pay you whatever he offered to kill the bridge builder and will probably have you killed after you finish the job. He’s just using you guys so he can keep oppressing these people and ruin their lives! There are kids here who are starving! The bridge is key to their survival! Gato is a really bad guy, and you aren’t like him! I can tell! If you were a bad guy then you wouldn’t care about your teammate, the same way I care about mine!”

 

Haku stilled and listened wide-eyed to the blondes breathless ranting. He could tell the boy was being honest and was likely correct. Gato had tried to kill Zabuza earlier when he thought he had failed without a second thought. But he couldn’t go against Zabuza’s wishes. 

“You may be correct, Naruto. But I will not go against Zabuza-sama. This mission is his choice.”

Naruto frowned. “Will you at least talk to him about it? I mean, if Gato isn’t going to pay you what’s the point? What do you guys even get out of this? You’re only hurting innocent people!”

The beautiful boy shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me!” Naruto crossed his arms and gave his best ‘serious’ face.

Haku hesitated. Would Zabuza-sama be angry with him for this? Would the boy try to stop them? Was it coincidence that he met this boy today? Why not one of the other two? Was this fate? It didn’t matter. In the end, he would do whatever Zabuza wanted, even if it meant killing this ball of sunshine in front of him. Still…something in his heart told him this was ok.

Haku sighed and knelt down, placing the basket of herbs to the left of him and his hands in his lap. Naruto blinked a moment and then followed, sitting down across from the other boy, a light blush on his cheeks. 

“My name is Yuki Haku.”


	7. Awaken

Sasuke awoke to a cold empty room. Naruto hadn’t come back last night apparently, and Kira’s mat and pillow were missing. He frowned, the feeling of loneliness and rejection creeping up on him. Loneliness was nothing new, it was something he had become familiar with since he was 8 years old and everything was taken from him. But ever since that first trip to Ichiraku’s with the dobe and Kira, that feeling had become a stranger to him. 

Rejection, however, was completely new. 

Combined with the now unfamiliar solitude…it was almost overwhelming. 

He could feel Kakashi and Kira downstairs with Tazuna and his family. His frown deepened. They hadn’t even bothered to wake him up. 

A few minutes later he came downstairs and locked eyes with Kakashi, who smiled and waved cheerily. “Ohayou Sasu-chan! You’re just in time for breakfast!”

Sasuke scowled at his sensei and grunted. His eyes wandered over to Kira who was in the kitchen helping Tsunami with the omelets. She didn’t turn around. “Where’s Naruto?” he asked.

“Hmm…I assume he’s still out training, or passed out somewhere in the general area.” Kakashi mused, head back in his book.

“Hn. I’m going to go get him.” Sasuke turned towards the door. “The dobe will be useless today if he doesn’t eat.” 

Kakashi hummed. “Hurry back! Don’t want the food to get cold!”

 

Sasuke took his time walking around getting lost in his thoughts. When he finally came upon Naruto, the blonde was sitting with a pretty girl having a quiet conversation. Sasuke’s mind backtracked. Since when did he think girls were pretty? Well, other than Kira anyway. And that was complicated enough. He was still trying to sort out his feelings like Kakashi suggested he do before talking to her, so maybe her not being there this morning was a good thing?

Focus Uchiha. The dobe is having a conversation with some strange girl. You came here to get him. Focus.

Before Sasuke could get his shit together though, Naruto was up and yelling again. Sasuke peeked around the tree and watched his friend curiously.

“Bye Haku-chan! See you soon ok! Good luck!”

The girl giggled and blushed. “Goodbye Naruto-kun! Thank you!”

The raven emerged from the tree and started walking casually towards the blonde, who stood there in an almost trance-like state. “Usuratonkachi.”

Naruto jumped and clutched his heart. “Damn it Teme! You scared the shit out of me! Why’d you sneak up on me like that!?”

“Tsk. We’re ninja.” It was both an explanation and an admonishment. 

Naruto scowled. He was about to retort when his stomach growled. Loudly. He flushed with embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head. Sasuke couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Come on, I came to get you for breakfast. We can get back to training after.” 

“Oh cool, thanks Sasuke!” Naruto offered him a smile, which Sasuke felt himself return. The feelings from this morning slowly ebbing away as they made their way back to Tazuna’s house. 

 

Naruto called Kakashi and Kira over for a meeting after breakfast. Kira had to leave with the bridge builder so she left a shadow clone behind to listen and speak on her behalf. Naruto shared about his conversation with Haku, and the possibility of not having to fight. Kakashi was skeptical, but Sasuke spoke up.

“If Naruto believes in this, we should trust him.”

“I agree. But we should still prepare to fight.” Kira’s clone added.

Kakashi looked at his students and sighed. “This is seriously the most complicated mission I’ve ever been assigned, and I’ve been a ninja for over two decades!”

Both Naruto and Kira’s clone giggled, and Sasuke smirked. “So does that mean we can go with my plan?” Naruto asked.

They agreed and Kira’s clone vanished immediately, sparing only a pat on Kakashi’s shoulder before leaving. The boys frowned and Kakashi sent them off to train, opting to stand guard at the house for a while and do some research. 

 

Several hours later, they were sitting in the forest, taking a break from their training to eat the lunch Kakashi had left them before the man returned to whatever it was he was doing.

“Nee, Sasuke, do you know what’s wrong with Kira-chan?”

Sasuke stilled, rice ball halfway to his mouth. He put it down and shook his head. “No. She won’t talk to me.”

Naruto cocked his head to the side. “Did something happen?” he asked. He noticed the sag in the other boy’s shoulders and the guilty look flash in his eyes. “I’m your friend too Sasuke. You can trust me, I promise.”

Looking over at the blonde, Sasuke felt a tug. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Not sure where to begin. He had told Kakashi only about the incident the other night, and broad strokes about their shared past previously when the two of them went to see the hokage concerning Kira and the rights the Uchiha grounds.

The question was, could he trust the dobe? One look at the guy’s stupid face and he knew that yes, he definitely could. Sighing, he resigned himself to his fate. If anything, Naruto didn’t have trouble talking to girls, or dealing with his feelings, and knew Kira as well as he did, at least currently. That, and the idiot always kept his promises.

So he told him everything, from beginning to now. His honesty surprising even him.

Naruto listened quietly without interruption. He understood now why Sasuke looked at their teammate with such longing and sadness sometimes. At first he thought it was just a crush, and he was sad because Kira didn’t seem to like him back in that way. But it was much more than that. 

For a long time after, neither of them spoke. Lunch time had come and gone, and they had yet to return to practice.

“Do you think that’s what she meant by being free?” Naruto asked. “Releasing whatever memory jutsu was put on her?”

His companion shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never asked.”

“Hmm…we should probably find out. But not until after we get home. It seems kinda complicated.” Sasuke nodded. “In the meantime, I’ll do whatever I can to help you go out with her and regain her memory, if you want.” He offered.

Sasuke looked at Naruto slightly surprised. “Why?”

Naruto smiled bright and got up with a stretch. “Because we’re best friends dummy! And Kira-chan is my little sister. If she’s gonna end up with anyone, even though you’re a bastard, I’d still prefer it was you dattebayo!” he struck his signature pose for added emphasis. 

“Hn.” His cheeks slightly flushed, he got up and dusted himself off before awkwardly turning to the side, hiding a small smile. “Let’s get back to work. We’re losing daylight.”

 

Since then he and Naruto had been at one another’s sides, and Sasuke felt lighter. It was nice having friends, but having someone he could call best friend was much different. Their rivalry had become a bigger part of their friendship as well. Competing and goading one another daily but also being proud of the other’s accomplishments. It was…nice. Though that night Sasuke had that dream again, his brother’s final words to him echoing in his brain, and he’d woken up shaking. Afraid he’d hurt Naruto or Kira, he tried to distance himself only for Naruto to call him an idiot and point out what Kira had told them when he first activated his sharingan. Still, that wasn’t completely comforting, but at least he knew he wouldn’t have to kill them. Hopefully…

The only time they were with the others was at breakfast and dinner. Naruto insisted that this was a good thing, quoting some book one of his clones had read (Naruto had coincidentally had a clone researching love and romance in his ongoing effort to woo Sakura) that “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Sasuke countered with the fact that she’d been absent from his life for years, and Naruto whacked him in the back of the head. “I’m talking about her missing you Teme! Jeez!” 

Sasuke absently wondered if having friends and liking a girl were making him stupid. Naruto being smarter than people thought was one thing, but the fact that he was now correcting him was another. Then Naruto forgot to brush his teeth one day and fell down the stairs while going up them and all was right in the world.

 

It was a few days later that Naruto and Sasuke finally completed their training. The re-emerged at the threshold of the house, leaning on one another and barely standing with triumphant grins.

“We did it!” Naruto shouted.

Kakashi smiled and congratulated them. Kira was sitting next to him and smiled as well. After that one night, she continued to sleep in Kakashi’s room, supposedly because Naruto snored too much. Sasuke had been hurt at the distance she put between them, but he noticed she was also distant from Naruto and everyone else other than Kakashi. His jealousy at the fact was not very well hidden either, as he was a bit cross with everyone who wasn’t the blonde.

 

Early the next morning Kakashi, Sasuke, Kira and Tazuna were leaving the house. Naruto was exhausted, having used several too many clones consecutively. Kakashi insisted on letting him stay to sleep, hoping that when he woke up the boy would be able to talk to Inari, with whom he’d had an argument the night before.

The little brat accused Naruto of not knowing what suffering and loneliness was. Kakashi had to physically restrain Kira and Sasuke, while Naruto remained calm, before calling the kid a big baby and making him cry. Kakashi sent his students to bed and went to have a nice chat with the little bugger.

His other hope was that this would be a good opportunity for Sasuke and Kira to make up. While he didn’t mind and completely understood her evasion tactics from both Sasuke and Tsunami, and he was glad the boys were getting along so well in her absence, he also did not like the fracture in the team. 

So the four of them set off for the day while Naruto, Tsunami and Inari stayed at the house. Kakashi hoped it would be a good day for mending fences and building bridges, both literally and figuratively. 

However, when they arrived, the construction area was devoid of workers. A thick mist surrounded the area, and Zabuza’s dark laugh filled the air.

 

Naruto woke up to the sun brightly shining and-

“What the fuck! I over slept?!” He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to see Inari helping Tsunami with her knitting. The rabbit they had brought back with them was in a small cage next to Inari. “Hey Tsunami-chan! Where’d everybody go?”

“Oh Naruto, what are you doing up? They said to let you rest while they went with my father to work to-”

“Damn it! They ditched me!” The blonde ran back upstairs quickly shedding his nightwear. He threw on his jumpsuit and ran back down with a wave. “I’m outta here!”

He ran through the trees before noticing several were cut in an odd manner, but it was a pig that was freshly shred to ribbons yet left out made him pause. It was senseless, and when he looked at the pattern the trees were cut in…” Shit!” Naruto turned around and headed back in the direction of Tazuna’s house, hoping he wasn’t too late.

 

Zabuza had surrounded them with water clones. Sasuke was angry that they man hadn’t listened to reason and was now talking shit, calling Naruto pathetic for trying to turn Haku against him. As soon as Kakashi gave the ok, Sasuke cut them all down at once. Zabuza addressed his masked partner. “Haku. Take care of the little male brat. I’ll handle Hatake.”

Kira, offended and irritated she was once again stuck babysitting the stupid bridge builder, and seriously pissed that the asshole insulted her teammates, summoned her five clones and took defensive positions around Tazuna. “Oi! Take that fucker down Baka-sensei!” she shouted.

Kakashi sweat-dropped. What happened to Kakashi-nii? He thought sadly. Zabuza laughed. “My my Kakashi, seems like even your student thinks you’re stupid. Sure you don’t want to drop out before I kill you all?”

“It’s a term of endearment you fucking moron! Insult any of my team members again and I’ll be the one to claim your worthless life you piece of sh-!” 

“Calm down Kira-kun. I’ll handle this.” Kakashi said in a level voice. His sharingan remained on Zabuza. “You best take her advice though. She will not grant you as kind a death as myself.”

 

Naruto arrived just as the two bad guys were about to kidnap Tsunami and kill Inari. He rescued the woman and performed a substitution jutsu to get the kid out of the way. 

“Sorry I’m late! Way to go Inari!” The boy looked at him wide-eyed. “It’s being a hero you know? All the nick of time stuff!” Just then the enemies attacked, but Naruto was faster. His shadow clones jumped then from behind and beat the crap out of them without impunity. 

After, he apologized to Inari, and congratulated him for standing up for his mom. They kid started crying then was ashamed for his tears. “Nothing wrong with crying when you’re happy!” he said with a smile, shocking the kid. “I’ve gotta get to the bridge now, you can handle things here right?”

The boy sniffled and nodded. “You bet!”

Naruto laughed and started to take off. “Man, this hero thing is a lot of work!”

 

At first, Haku was going toe to toe with the dark haired boy, neither one of them giving an opening. It surprised him how strong the boy was as well. Although he didn’t want to fight one of Naruto’s precious persons, but he had no choice. Zabuza had made his wishes clear. They couldn’t afford the possibility that Naruto was wrong, they’d lose what little they had. 

Then the boy started over-taking him. His blows were increasingly powerful, precise, and more damaging than Haku initially believed possible. Soon Haku had realized he was taking serious damage. At the minimum, he could feel several ribs were cracked, and at least one was broken. He realized with a small amount of admiration that in terms of taijutsu this boy was clearly his superior. If things kept going this way…

Haku started weaving hand signs with one hand. Sasuke was taken aback and it gave his opponent the opening to perform his jutsu. Unfortunately, Sasuke was also faster then he’d originally considered and escaped with another powerful counter attack. As the fight progressed it got to the point where Zabuza called Haku out, and was no longer left with the option of mercy.

“Secret Technique! Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!”

 

Sasuke was surrounded by large mirrors of ice, each with Haku’s visage. Kakashi made a move to go to him but was stopped by Zabuza’s blade. “Let’s not forget, I’m your enemy.”

Haku was moving at incredible speeds. The senbon attacks were fast, and Sasuke was taking hits. “Any sudden moves and I’ll kill those other two.” Zabuza threatened. Behind him, Kira growled. Kakashi was torn. He wanted to help Sasuke, but if he did his other student would be in danger, or worse... Just when he thought he’d be forced to choose, he felt a familiar chakra signature approach.

“Uzumaki Naruto! Here to save the day!” The blonde appeared with a striking pose. Everyone literally sweat-dropped. Kakashi said another prayer to Kami. Zabuza threw some shuriken at him but they were deflected by Haku. Apparently, the kid wanted to fight Naruto in his own way. 

Naruto used the opportunity to sneak into the ice mirror dome. “Psst! Sasuke-Teme! I’m here to rescue you!”

Sasuke fought an urge to slap his forehead. “Usuratonkachi! You’re supposed to be a ninja!”

The other boy smiled and turned to face Haku, who suddenly disappeared into one of the mirrors. “Haku, we don’t have to do this! Everything I told you was true! It’s not too late!”

“Shut up kid!” Zabuza yelled from his position. “Haku, stop fooling around with those brats! Kill them already!”

Sasuke tensed. Senbon rapidly flew at them from all directions. Haku hadn’t even responded to anyone, just attacked. Obeying. They couldn’t tell which mirror he was in even using their senses. He and Naruto were getting torn to ribbons. His mind struggled to find a way to get out of this through the pain. Naruto had made it clear beforehand that he didn’t want to kill the Haku kid or Zabuza, which was why they agreed not to use their new jutsus against them so he’d have to think of a way to-

“Shadow clone jutsu!”

The dome was suddenly filled with orange clad clones who were rapidly cut down. Sasuke used the opportunity to gather his chakra and performed a fire jutsu, hoping it would melt the ice.

“Fire style! Blaze of glory!”

It was ineffective. Haku’s jutsu was revealed to be a kekkei-genkai, and the images were not illusions but him just moving at incredible speed. “I have my own dreams, as you have yours.” The mirror images spoke. “Please try not to resent me, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to protect the one I care about most…to fight, kill, or die to fulfill that person’s dreams. Doing so is my own dream.” The others listened on with mixed emotions. Zabuza himself looked a bit taken aback. “To that end, I will become a true shinobi…and I shall kill you both.”

A moment of silence passed before Kira yelled. “You’re all fucking morons!” Several heads snapped in her direction. “I’m about finished with this bullshit! Baka-sensei! Show that ungrateful fucker who’s boss! Ducky-chan! Eye’s on! Naru-chan! Get your shit together! If any of you assholes die I’ll bring your useless ass back to life and kill you myself! This is your last chance before I step in and emasculate your sorry asses!!”

Zabuza tsk’d. “Such a fowl mouthed little girl. All talk and no bite.”

Kira scoffed and Kakashi chuckled. “Well boys, you heard the Princess!”

“Son of a-I told you never to call me that!”

Sasuke smirked and took position, turning on his sharingan. Haku gasped and Zabuza’s eyes widened. “Whenever you’re ready, Naruto.”

Naruto removed his jacket and slammed his fist into his other palm. “All right Sasuke! Give us the word, Kakashi-sensei!”

From his position, Kakashi smirked. “START!”

 

It was chaos. It was bloody. It was beautiful.

Kakashi’s battle with Zabuza was bloody as the two took to fighting one another with their weapons and taijutsu, dancing around each other with speed and deadly grace. Zabuza bragged about his brutal shaping of Haku into a perfect weapon, insulting Kakashi’s students as worthless trash. Kakashi, angered, attacked mercilessly. A mist formed and Kakashi was faced once again with Zabuza’s silent killing technique. He focused his senses on where the man would attack next.

Zabuza appeared in front of Kira, or one of her clones, and made to take a swipe. Faster than he could predict, the girl smiled and absconded with the bridge builder, while Kakashi took her place and caught the blade. Using a force of chakra laced with electricity, he pushed Zabuza back, slamming him into the ground several feet away. Zabuza choked up blood and Kakashi wiped his own bloody hands on his flak-jacket. He stared hard at the man before him.

“Let’s not forget, Momochi…I’m your enemy.”

 

Sasuke and Naruto faced a storm of senbon, moving as fast as they could but still being stuck with several dozen needles. Because of his sharingan, Sasuke was a bit faster than Naruto without his weighted jacket, his eyes giving him the ability to see Haku’s movements. Unfortunately, they still had no means of an effective non-lethal counter attack. The two combined fire jutsus as well as fire and wind jutsus, in rapid succession. They destroyed two mirrors and managed to crack another three before Sasuke smashed another to bits with a fist encased with fiery red chakra. His strength surprising even his teammate.

Haku was amazed at how much chakra the two had to have been able to summon that many powerful attacks, while he himself was slowing down, something the two before him will have noticed soon enough if they hadn’t already. Suddenly, Haku made a move to go after Naruto and Sasuke moved to intercept without thinking, taking the brunt of the hit. 

“Sasuke…wh-”

“I used to hate you, you know.” Sasuke collapsed. He whispered a few words to Naruto before falling deathly silent.

Haku made a soft speech about Sasuke’s noble sacrifice, making him a true shinobi. It was meant to both console Naruto and also convince him to accept the loss of the battle before it was too late. But it was already too late, for Haku. All at once, terrible overpowered chakra permeated the air. Naruto looked up at Haku with demonic red eyes, fangs, darkened whiskers and sharp claws. His wounds completely healed. Haku’s eyes widened in horror behind his mask.

“I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!”

 

Over on the other side, Kakashi had summoned his ninken. The release of the kyuubi’s chakra signaled it was time to end this battle, and Kakashi wasted no more time. The kyuubi’s chakra was nightmarish, but the consequences of releasing the seal were bound to be worse, so he pushed through the fear. The pack of dogs tracked Zabuza through Kakashi’s blood that was smeared on him and attacked viciously. 

 

Fear. True fear. 

It wracked Haku’s body in a way he’d never known before. The sickening chakra taking shape in front of him was stronger than anything he’d ever felt before. Even stronger than Zabuza’s. The boy in front of him was unrecognizable from before. No, not a boy. A demon.

The chakra was suffocating him. Then the thing attacked, quickly and with incredible force. His mirrors were smashed into a million-million pieces. His arm was grabbed, instantly crunched. His face, punched and broken, his mask smashed in the process. 

He was defeated.

And then, just before the killing blow, the attack stopped.

 

Seeing Haku's face woke Naruto up from his trance. The mask had detached him, making the boy in front of him easier to comprehend as an enemy. Once it was gone, he saw again the boy with whom he picked herbs with a few days prior. The one who shared a past as similar as his own. The one who was human. He might have failed to save Sasuke, but he could still save the boy in front of him.

 

Seconds before, Kira had felt it. Sasuke was at death’s door. Fading...Naruto had called upon the nine-tails chakra which was threatening to consume him. She could feel the seal weakening with every passing moment. She was losing them. She had failed them. She let out a scream and released her other chakra.

 

A cold blinding light and icy Ki emitted from over where Tazuna and Kira were. Kakashi was about to make his final move with the lightning blade when an agonizing wail sounded from behind him, freezing both him and Zabuza in place. The ninken held onto Zabuza through their own fear, though their prisoner was now shaking. Naruto and Haku looked over startled mid conversation. Haku had begged for death, he was useless now, a failure. But the boy wouldn’t grant it. Now they strained to see but were unable to make out the scene before them.

Tazuna fell back, the clones guarding him disappeared and he was left alone shrinking in his fear. Zabuza fell to the floor, his body seizing uncontrollably. Haku screamed and shunshined to his side only to be afflicted by the same immobilizing pain. Kakashi’s eye widened as Kira walked them, possessed. Her hands raised before her in bloody fists and eyes completely black including the sclera. 

“You had your chance for redemption. You were warned of the consequences.” Dark images flashed in Haku and Zabuza’s minds, some were their own memories, other’s things from unfathomable nightmares. “You have killed one precious to me, and caused harm to another. You will now accept your fate.” Her voice was off, as though there were several voices speaking. “There will be no mercy.” 

Kakashi stood frozen behind her. This is what he wanted to prevent. A few days ago, her brief description of this rare occurrence when she lost control was nothing in comparison to witnessing it. It was frightening. 

Naruto materialized between her and her prey and put his hands over one of hers, tears running down his eyes. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew it needed to stop. He was more afraid for her than of her. He could feel her pain, and her chakra was draining fast. If she didn’t stop soon… “Kira-chan, please, d-don’t do this. Sas-Sasuke wouldn’t want you t-to do this. Please.”

Kakashi snapped out of it and put his hands on her free hand. “Come back, Kira-kun.”

 

The voices and screams were far, far away. She was deep within the cold darkness. Lost. Blind to everything but her victims and their punishment. The images she threw back at them were dark and relentless, just like their lives. And it felt good, so good to feel their pain, their life forces fading away with each passing moment. It was just as it was before, satisfying. Sadistic. Sick. She was getting lost in it, like a drug, when she felt...warmth. Naruto’s warmth. Kakashi’s warmth. And Sasuke. She could feel him too. He was still alive.

She gasped for breath in her mind and roused from her abstraction. Her eyes returned to normal and her victims were freed. The cold light surrounding her dissipated along with the Ki like it had never been there. Numbly, she registered Naruto hugging her tightly and she hugged back briefly before pulling away. “Naru-chan,” her voice was raw as if her vocal cords were damaged. “Sasuke-”

“I know Kira-chan, I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault, he-”

“He’s still alive.” She smiled softly as he looked back at Sasuke with shock and relief. “Watch over Tazuna, I need to heal him while I still remain conscious.” She released her surprised friend and shunshined over to Sasuke. Concentrating, she focused her warm white light chakra into her hands and placed it on his stomach at his center. 

 

Haku and Zabuza coughed and breathed deep desperate breaths. The older man reached out to Haku and grabbed him. “Haku…are you…alright…?”

The other’s eyes widened and he coughed violently. “Ma…master Zabuza…I’m sorry I…failed you…that…”

Zabuza shook his head and pulled the kid closer. “I’m…the one that…failed you. It’s your forgiveness that…I don’t deserve…”

“Zabuza!” A voice shouted from across the way. Gato stood with a large group of thugs behind him. 

“Gato. What are you doing here? And why did you bring all of them?” he asked.

“There’s been a slight change in plans…or rather…this is what I had in mind all along. It’s why I like hiring nukenin. You’ll do anything for money that I never have to pay because once you’ve served your purpose you’re dead. Literally! And the best part? No one misses you when you’re gone!” The short man laughed heartily. 

“It seems I owe you all an apology, Haku, Kakashi…and Kakashi’s brats.” Zabuza coughed again and stood up, bringing Haku up with him. “Please allow me to make amends.”  
Kakashi looked over at Gato and his men. “And after?” he asked.

“Heh, considering we’re all half-dead, if there is an ‘after’, I believe your boy said something about vouching for us to your Hokage?” 

Kakashi laughed. “Well, I guess that depends on how many of these guys you can take out before me.” He said jokingly.

Naruto went over to Haku and worriedly put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright, Haku-chan?”

“Naruto-kun, I’m sorry.” The boy was still shaken, his mind and body feeling incredibly weak, but his heart was a bit lighter. 

“It’s ok, let’s just take care of business!” He smiled brightly. Haku’s eyes widened as all traces of the monster boy were gone, the sunshine child before him as if the other never existed. “And then you guys can help us build this bridge, ok?”

The other boy nodded and the four of them ran over to Gato and his crowd. Zabuza summoned his demon and many of the thugs ran in fear. Gato was killed bloodily and without prejudice. Haku threw senbon immobilizing several of the hired thugs. Kakashi summoned a dozen shadow clones and their kunai and shuriken found their way into vital areas. Naruto summoned several of his own clones and together they managed to dispose of a majority of the entire lot before the cavalry arrived. 

“Stop where you are!” Inari had shown up with the entire village. “This island is our home! One step further and you’ll die where you stand!”

“Inari!” Several Naruto’s shouted happily.

The small boy was armed with a tiny crossbow and smiled big to his new idol. “It’s being a hero, you know? All that nick of time stuff!”

 

Sasuke thought he was dead. There was darkness, cold, and blanketed in silence. Then he was enveloped in a bright light and warmth. A familiar soft voice called his name and he followed its source without thought, drifting towards the light.

When he opened his eyes he saw Kira hovering above him. Her hands were on his stomach and they were glowing, flooding him with warmth. No. She was glowing. She was the light. His light.

“Kira?” he asked. His voice startled her and she blinked her tears away, looking from her hands to his face with unbridled hope and relief. 

“Sasuke, you moron!” She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him almost too tightly. He could feel her crying on his shoulder as he hugged her back. “Don’t you dare ever do that to me again, you hear! I mean it!”

“I’m…I’m sorry Kira.”

“You’re sorry!” her voice was muffled by his shoulder, shirt growing damp from her tears. “Naruto’s sorry! Haku’s sorry! Zabuza’s sorry! Kakashi’s sorry! Everyone’s fucking sorry! I don’t care! All your apologies don’t mean shit to me! Just don’t do this shit again! I can’t-”

Sasuke silenced her with a kiss. A real one, on purpose. He had been close, so close to never seeing her again. He held her face in one hand and his other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her as close as possible and ignoring the senbon poking out of odd places on his body before releasing her lips and resting his forehead against hers. 

“I promise” was all he could say before she fainted.

 

Two weeks later, the bridge was finished and Team 7 along with two new friends and a rabbit wearing a light pink kimono that matched Haku’s were heading back to Konoha.

The party of six ninja had spent many nights waxing philosophical about what it truly meant to be a ninja, and what a ninja’s true purpose was. After coming to some bleak conclusions, Naruto had decided to follow his own ninja way, and both Haku and Zabuza believed his was already doing just that. 

Haku had flirted unashamedly with Sasuke, eliciting blushes from the raven and snickers from both Naruto and Kira. Zabuza started calling Haku his son, which in turn made the beautiful boy blush without fail. 

Despite the brutal fight, flirting and almost killing of one another, Naruto seamlessly blended Haku into their group friendship. Zabuza and Kakashi bonded over what it was like to raise such monstrous brats, to which Naruto responded by gathering the group of four teenagers plus Inari into an epic series of pranks that left both masked men exasperated and raising white flags.

Saying goodbye to Inari was hardest on Naruto, who had grown close to the little one. They both cried like babies and Kira practically dragged him away. When they arrived home, Team 7 vouched for the two ninjas individually and as a group, as well as presented a letter from Tazuna endorsed by the villagers. In the end, the Hokage was convinced and sent a letter of introduction, explaining the circumstances of Zabuza’s attempt at a coup (which considering Yagura, the previous Mizukage’s history, were understandable), requesting pardons from the new Mizukage, and offered to grant them sanctuary should she refuse. 

However, Mei the new Mizukage not only pardoned Zabuza she reinstated him as a jonin and accepted both him and Haku as citizens. She was trying her best to reform the Village Hidden in the Mist’s legacy of blood, and knew better than anyone Zabuza’s motives were not unfounded. A reasonable punishment of some community service and probation would suffice. She also sent a letter of thanks addressed to the ninja who spared their lives, which Naruto kept and framed, proudly displayed in his apartment. 

When Haku and Zabuza were leaving to head home with their escort, Naruto bawled at the gates while he hugged Haku and made him promise to come visit soon and did the same to Zabuza, who awkwardly patted his head and called Kakashi to come get his stray. Kira’s farewell was a bit quieter, the unspoken awkwardness between them still a bit present. She bowed deeply to both men and handed them bentos. “Don’t worry, I didn’t cook them so you know they’re edible for sure!” she joked trying to lighten the mood. The others all laughed in somewhat relief. 

Haku flirted a bit more with Sasuke, who tried moving towards Kira for some sort of buffer but she only laughed and pushed him back towards the other boy, telling him to be nice and give him a hug goodbye. Blushing furiously, he held out a hand only to be pulled into a hug and a kiss deposited on his lips. Sasuke was mortified and Zabuza slapped him on the back and told him to keep it in his pants. 

To say the raven was relieved when they finally left was an understatement.


	8. Together Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For the purposes of this story;  
> Genin Graduation was May 1st, Wave Mission June 1st and lasted 3 weeks, Chuunin Exams July 1st  
> OC turned 12 on May 21st (birthday flashback in a later chapter), Sasuke turns 13 July 23rd, Naruto turns 13 October 10th

It had been a week since they got back from the Land of Waves, including two days since Zabuza, Haku and Yukio the formal dressed rabbit left, and Team 7’s dynamics were a bit off. 

While they picked up their training schedule right back off where they left it, adding things and substituting others based on needs, the distance between the boys and the girl was increasing. Kakashi worried about how to mend things, deciding to approach Iruka to ask for some advice one afternoon.

It started off nice enough, some harmless flirting followed by some sound advice to put them in a situation where they felt comfortable enough to face their issues without an escape. A plan formed in the Hatake prodigy’s mind and he giggled internally. Then the Sandaime announced the chuunin exams in three days and Kakashi recommended his genin without a second thought, making the cute academy teacher upset with him, but he refused to back down. He knew his students better than anyone, better actually than anyone else had bothered to know them their whole lives. He knew they would take the exams by the tail.

Feeling a bit competitive with the other jonin who thought their teams were going to wipe the floor with his, Kakashi proceeded to engage in a rare trash-talking competition. The others argued that the Uchiha boy was known for being uncooperative, the Uzumaki boy for being a troublemaker and a weakling compared to his classmates, and the Senju girl was basically an estranged princess who was probably just another spoiled brat. Not to mention Asuma was a bit irritated he had to take on an extra genin that originally was supposed to be his. Needless to say Kakashi laid down some heavy ryo on his entire team making it to the finals.

 

Meanwhile, Naruto chose to use the free afternoon to try and talk to his female teammate. He had asked her about her weird jutsu a while ago, but she had refused to comment on it and changed the subject. Of course, he had brought it up in front of Sasuke, thinking that since there were no real secrets between their group that she would be willing to share, but ever since the Teme kissed her on the bridge she had been acting weird around him too, probably because the bastard still hadn’t talked to her about it even though Naruto kept telling him he should.

But since they were both being stubborn, and Kakashi clearly wasn’t going to help out, Naruto took it upon himself to fix the issue, volunteering to talk to Kira on Sasuke’s behalf. He wasn’t ecstatic about playing the middle man, but hey, if it got the everyone through the awkward phase then what the hell. 

So here he was, walking with Kira to the ramen shop where he hoped to have a nice chat on their afternoon off when he sensed three small chakra signatures following close by. A quick look revealed a poorly disguised rock was trailing them. Kira giggled and Naruto brought out a smoke tag, throwing it into one of the eye holes of the box and laughing when three orange dusted kids came out coughing. 

“Aww man! How’d ya know it was us leader?!” Konohamaru said. He was a small boy with brown spiky hair in a pony-tail and an oversized blue scarf. His companions, one girl with two spiky orange pig-tails and rosy cheeks and a boy with glasses and a nose-drip all wore goggles on top of their heads like him. 

“C’mon Kono! I’m a ninja! Hey, what’s up with the goggles?”

“And who are your friends?” Kira asked, reaching a hand out to dust off the girls face with a piece of cloth she tore from her shirt, causing the girl to blush and smile shyly. Naruto grimaced, that orange sticky dust may have been a bit overkill for the runts.

“We’re the Konohamaru Gang! And these goggles are our tribute to you, our leader!” Konohamaru shouted with a fist in the air.

“I’m Moegi” the girl bowed.

“And I’m Udon” the nose-dripper spoke. “Who are you?”

“I’m Kira, Naruto’s teammate. It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” she smiled.

“Woah, Naruto-nii, she’s pretty!” he whispered conspiratorially. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Naruto laughed and shook his head. “Nah, she’s my cousin actually, but I think of her as my imouto.” 

“I prefer cousin Naru-chan.” Kira quipped as she brushed off Udon’s face. 

“Cool! That means you can be our nee-chan too!” the little leader shouted. Kira visibly winced at the volume and shrugged.

“Will you guys play ninja with us?” The little girl asked. 

Naruto looked at Kira questioningly and she nodded. “Alright! We’ll give you guys a ten second head start! Run for it!”

As one the Konohamaru gang took off, though they didn’t separate. Naruto made a mental note to teach Konohamaru and his friends evasion tactics. They took their time going after them, only to find that they had bumped into some foreign ninja and hadn’t made a good impression, as the one with the purple face-paint and brown cat onesie was about to throttle Kono.

Naruto body-flickered to where the make-up guy was and took Konohamaru out of his hands and moved back to protect the other two while Kira appeared behind the guy, crouching on his shoulders and holding a kunai to his neck. The blonde female with four spiky pig-tails who was with him blinked and then went to attack when a rock hit her hand, stunning her momentarily as she winced in pain.

“Who are you and what are you doing in our village?” Sasuke’s questioned. He was sitting casually in a tree nearby and tossed a rock in his hand, eyes on the foreign ninja.

“So cool” came the collective whispers among the three little academy students.

“Kankuro…” the female whispered cradling her hand to her chest. “We should go before-”

 

“That’s enough. You two are a disgrace to our village.” A deep gravelly voice sounded from behind Sasuke. Hanging upside down from another limb on the tree was a redhead with no eyebrows, red kanji tattoo for ‘love’ on his forehead, pale-green eyes and a giant gourd on his back. Unlike the other two foreign ninja who seemed surprised at the other boys sudden appearance, Team 7 didn’t react. They had sensed his presence as soon as he arrived to observe them. Kira made eye contact with the boy who was clearly another jinchuuriki and stared hard, while Naruto concentrated, trying to feel what exactly was wrong with the guy’s seal. Though Sasuke was a bit unnerved not when he realized exactly what this boy was, but that he didn’t seem to have the same amount of control over his beast’s chakra as Naruto, he didn’t show it. “Have you forgotten why we came here?” he asked. His eyes were cold and deadly. 

“Ga..Gaara! It was their fault!” Kankuro choked out. “The little one bumped into me and-”

“Shut up, or I’ll kill you.” That stopped the taller boy cold. Gaara turned to Sasuke. “Sorry about my friends.” Kira smirked as she felt the boy’s fear beneath her and body-flickered over to Naruto, resting an arm on his shoulder.

“No worries!” Naruto smiled. “Although, if you are here for the chuunin exams assaulting the Hokage’s grandson is probably not the best way to start things off.”

Kira giggled beside him as the other two paled. Disappearing in a flurry of sand Gaara reappeared between his two teammates, as they all sported the same headbands. He looked impassively towards the smaller kids huddled behind the confident genin and to the ninjas. When his eyes settled on Kira, the lingered a bit too long for Sasuke’s liking considering her midriff was bare for some reason.

“You know, we could probably help you with that problem of yours if you wanted, as a gesture of goodwill and all, considering that our villages are allies after all.” She said smiling. Gaara stared a second more before raising a non-existent eyebrow in question. She walked over slowly and held out a hand. “I’m Kira. The orange one is Naruto and the broody one in the tree is Sasuke. We’re Team 7. It’s a pleasure to have you in our village and we wish you luck on your exams.”

Hesitantly, Gaara held his hand out. The sand hadn’t reacted to her presence, and he felt a sort of calm aura around her contrary to her eyes that screamed blood and murder like his own. He knew she had killed before, he could feel it. Her eyes and those of her teammates also all held the same loneliness as his own, but something else was there as well…some sort of warmth? Understanding? She took his hand and he felt a small surge of chakra, warm and bright and soothing and why hadn’t the sand killed her yet? As if time slowed she pulled him in for a one armed hug while still holding his hand and patted him on the back. “So you can find me if you want help your seal” she whispered before pulling away and smiling brightly. 

Gaara and his teammates stood stunned as she walked over to Kankuro and held out her hand to him. “Sorry about earlier, but you were kinda being an asshole to my little friend there.” Kankuro shook her hand in a daze and she moved over to the other girl. “I’m sorry, we didn’t get your name?”

“Te-Temari” the girl breathed, also shaking her hand in a fog of disbelief. Kira grinned and flickered back to Naruto who was smiling as well.

“It was nice to meet you all!” he shouted. “If you guys are hungry later meet us at Ichiraku’s for dinner, it’s tradition to get to know new friends better over a delicious bowl of the best ramen you’ve ever had!” he waved cheerily and turned to the little ones. “Ok you three, last one back to the academy has to take the blame for the prank we’re gonna pull on Iruka-sensei! Got it!” Three startled heads nod. “Good! Go!!” The kids took off at high speed in the opposite direction. 

Kira looked up at Sasuke and shouted “That means you too Ducky-chan!” before taking off at a sprint. Sasuke grunted and jumped off the tree to follow, leaving Naruto behind.

“Aw, C’mon guys! No fair!”

The three foreign ninja stood there a few moments longer, each lost in their own heads trying to figure out just what exactly happened but knowing one thing for certain; Team 7 were not ordinary individuals.

 

The next day the genin were at their usual afternoon meeting spot waiting for their punctuality-challenged sensei and discussing the events of the night before. The ninja from the sand hadn’t shown up to Ichiraku’s but that wasn’t completely unexpected. They did sense the other jinchuuriki nearby though he didn’t approach them, so that was something.

It was momentarily forgotten when Kakashi arrived to tell them he recommended them for the exams. Naruto tackled him into a hug and professed his love, while Kakashi tried in vain to pry him off.

“Oi, Baka-sensei, we need to discuss something first.”

Intrigued, Kakashi looked at his three genin who suddenly became serious. “In private?” he asked. In response the three shunshined away and Kakashi followed, meeting a few minutes later at the Uchiha training grounds. “Ok, so what's up?”

Kira smiled. “We had to initial protocol C.”

Kakashi’s eye widened. “Another jinchuuriki? In the village? What happened?”

Naruto relayed the previous day’s events, his concern about the other boy’s seal being so weak as well as the fact that Gaara now seemed to be following Kira around the village randomly. Sasuke was upset that Kira had approached Gaara so recklessly and half naked, even if it was protocol to approach as friendly as possible in order to disarm them and not to let Naruto have physical contact just in case it triggers the fox. Kira thought that things went well and Sasuke was being a big baby and if he had something he wanted to say to her he knew where to find her. 

Needless to say, Kakashi was a bit worried about team dynamics again. He had hoped that another challenge like the chuunin exams would bring them together, as they seemed to thrive in that sort of environment, but it seemed the universe was against him. He mourned his days of being a carefree jonin before he knew these little monsters. “Alright, that’s enough.” He said, asserting as much authority in his voice and silencing the genin all at once. He was the alpha of this pack, and it was high time he settled the beef among his pups. “The chuunin exams are dangerous as it is. Everything I taught you, especially teamwork, is paramount to your survival. With another jinchuuriki in the mix, you’ll need to be on guard more than ever. Now, Naruto, have you worked out a seal that can work for the other boy?”

Naruto hummed and nodded slowly. “Mostly. We worked on it late last night but I’ll need a better read on his chakra. Kira-chan could only sense the chaotic chakra and Sasuke-Teme couldn’t use his sharingan without being noticed.”

“If he actually comes to us we can figure it out, it shouldn’t be an issue.” Sasuke added.

“If not…well…we’re pretty sure we can take him.” Kira said.

“Pretty sure.” Kakashi deadpanned.

“Yup!”

“Mmmhmm.”

“Hn.”

Kakashi sighed and looked at them all individually. Between the Fox, the Sharingan, and Kira’s other self, well… “Fine. I’ll trust you to handle this for now, but if anything should go sideways…”

“We know!” an annoyed chorus answered him.

“Good. Then I have one last task for you before the exams start. It’s extremely important to your success, should you wish to proceed. Are you ready to accept?” he asked with an evil glint in his eye. The three genin gulped internally. The last time their wayward sensei looked at them like that they got the living shit beat out of them. Not that they were opposed to that sort of training of course, on the contrary, they loved it. But the look now made them feel like this wasn’t going to be as fun.

As one, they nodded. And so, sealed their fate.

 

Kakashi’s task was simple; sleepover at the Uchiha’s apartment. 

Naruto’s apartment was small, and Kira’s was smaller, and with Gaara lurking around somewhere it was better that they stuck together in case he approached, either for help or to attack. Sasuke’s apartment was big, with a patio and an extra-large bed and a great vantage point. They worked on Gaara’s seal on night and spent the days researching previous exams, training and preparing for the worst. 

The first night before they went to sleep Kira decided to bite the bullet and told them the truth about her nightmares. She knew this was one of the reasons their damn sensei assigned them this ‘task’. He had told her before she should confide in her teammates, and she was avoiding it, rightly so. She didn’t want to tell them everything, but between Naruto’s curiosity and Sasuke’s damn assist he was giving the blonde they ended up getting most of it out of her.

“So…remember how I told you my first memory was pretty much blood screams and…yeah…?” she began. Sasuke nodded and Naruto shifted in his seat. He had heard this from Sasuke but not her, so he just stayed silent. “Well, there’s um…a little more to it than that. Did you, um, hear about what happened on the bridge? After you kinda died?” Sasuke’s eyes widened and he looked to Naruto before turning back and nodding. She could tell they were putting it together. “I’m not…I’m not sure exactly what it is, or how it happened in the first place. I know it’s not a kekkei-genkai, and as far as I know it’s never occurred before in another person. Although they could have just kept it a secret like me so…”

She paused, trying to find the words. “It’s only happened three times. I can’t…control it. The last time, was when I thought…I thought you two were…and the time before was…when I was traveling here…I was on my own and just outside of fire country. There were some kids…young girls who had been…taken I guess…killed after they were…used and…the men who did it wanted to take me too but I…I lost control and I…killed them all.” She took a deep breath and clenched her fists in her hands.

Sasuke’s hand clenched and anger rolled off him in waves. Naruto grabbed her hand but she pulled it away. “It’s ok, Kira-chan, we’re here, we-”

“No! You need to listen! You might…you might hate me after this…after I tell you…I just…I need you to listen…ok?” she was trembling. It had been easier to disassociate with Kakashi, he at least knew what she had been through. He hadn’t judged her. He understood her. 

She didn’t look at them, she could feel their resolve but she knew it would crumble soon. “The nightmares, the ones that wake me where I wake up and believe I’m still covered in blood…that I’m still there…killing them…they’re from these times. The second time is clearer than the first, and the third…I dream of that too now but the first…the first is the worst. The first time…when I woke up…my first memory…the blood…the person I killed…was my mother.”

Naruto gasped and Sasuke stilled. “But your mom…she died…didn’t she?”

Kira shook her head. “No…she…faked her death after she was attacked and went to find Tsunade in disguise. Apparently…she was…afraid of something in the village. She wanted to take me and leave but…she was afraid of being branded a traitor or ruining our clan’s reputation for abandoning the village. She wanted to…make sure I was strong enough to protect myself before I could come back so…whatever this curse is…whatever I am now…she…she did it to protect me and she…made me kill her to complete it…No one knows about it except Kakashi-nii and my cousins but they don’t know what it is either and…it’s too dangerous to tell anyone else so…”

The silence was deafening as Kira began to feel hot tears slide down her face. She knew Sasuke would hate her now. It had been the reason she avoided his advances. She was a kin killer, like his brother. She didn’t deserve his affection. She didn’t-

Strong, slender arms embraced her waist. She gasped and looked up to find Sasuke holding onto her like she was his lifeline. Another pair of arms encircled her around the shoulders and kami she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She started bawling, letting out all the tears and grief she had felt. Endless nights of reliving the murders had haunted her. Confessing she was a murderess to her teammates caused her more fear and anxiety than anything had before. And here were her two morons, holding her like she had done nothing wrong.

“I’m sorry.” Was all she could muster. 

“You’re sorry. Naruto’s sorry. I’m sorry. Everyone’s fucking sorry.” Sasuke mumbled into her neck.

Naruto snorted. “I don’t care. Just don’t do this shit again dattebayo.”

Kira laughed between her sobs and reached her hands up to grasp the arms across her chest and stomach. “I promise.”

Apparently, no one on Team 7 was immune to nightmares. 

Naruto confessed to occasionally reliving the abuse he received from the orphanage during the short time he was there as well as at the hands of various villagers. “My first memories were of being hated…craving affection and being shoved away. In my dreams…I try to connect with people, with you guys, and…everyone just pushes me away. They call me names, turn their backs on me…and hurt me.” Naruto had mentioned some of the behavior of the villagers before after Sasuke and Kira had witnessed several incidents, but they didn’t know how far back they extended. “Even Iruka-sensei and Jiji…they all hate me. They blame me for everyone dying…for the Yondaime’s death, and they leave me behind…you all leave me behind...in the darkness…alone.” He choked out. 

“Dobe.” Sasuke sighed, putting a hand on the blondes’ shoulder. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“You’re stuck with us and our vegetables!” Kira jested as she wrapped herself around his other arm. 

Naruto laughed in relief and wiped away his tears. “I love you guys, you know that? You’re…the closest thing to family I’ve ever had and…I don’t know if that’s ok or if we really are but…” he was blushing a bit, embarrassed by his confession.

Kira stilled, making eye contact with Sasuke above the other boy’s head. They were all conflicted with the emotions and connections that came with this territory, but there was no way they could say they didn’t feel the same.

Smiling softly, Sasuke bumped his forehead against his friends. “Usuratonkachi. Of course we are.”

“Morons.” Kira snuggled into the orange fabric of Naruto’s shoulder and held a bit tighter. Sasuke’s heart constricted at the sight.

“I need to tell you guys something too.” He said, gaining their undivided attention. “I dream of that night too, when…Itachi..." Sasuke spat his name with such utter disdain it made the others flinch. "...killed my clan and…my parents.” His breath hitched and Naruto grabbed his hand and squeezed a little tighter. “Every night, I find them all…the bodies…and he tells me to come find him when I have the same eyes…that I need to kill my best friend…”

“But Ducky-chan, we already know that you don’t need to do that, remember?”

“Yeah, you read some of the research yourself right?”

“Yes but in my dreams…in my nightmares…I do. I kill you both because…you’re the only two people who matter to me anymore…and…”

“And in order for you to get the Mangekyo in the first place-”

“-one of us has to die.” 

 

They approached the academy as one cohesive unit, armed to the teeth with all sorts of goodies. On the way they noticed several potential threats and a few interesting characters. When they arrived to the supposed third floor, a couple genins were being refused entry and making a fuss. Naruto made a move to help them out but Sasuke stuck out an arm and shook his head. “This is a competition dobe, leave them.”

Naruto pouted but followed his teammate, noting the pale eyes that followed them as they moved past the others and ascended the stairs to the actual third floor. When suddenly, a bowl-haired boy in a green jumpsuit jumped up, introducing himself as Rock Lee and challenged Sasuke to a match as a member of the legendary Uchiha clan. Sasuke, feeling competitive and always eager for a fight, was about to agree when Kira grabbed his hand and pulled him close. “It’s a competition babe, remember? Don’t show anyone anything until it’s time.”

Sasuke controlled his blush and nodded. He looked up to the strange looking boy and Naruto snickered. “Sorry, perhaps we should save the fighting for the exam.” 

The other boy looked disappointed for a moment before striking a dramatic pose and giving a dazzling smile that made Kira giggle. “I look forward to it, Uchiha!” Sasuke smirked and tugged Kira away, who in turn grabbed Naruto’s hand and pulled him along as well. They approached the door and were about to enter when a puff of smoke revealed-

“Kakashi-sensei!” 

“Baka-sensei!” 

“Hn.”

“Yo!”

Naruto tackled him into another hug and Kira jumped over to pat his head asking “Who’s a good sensei? You are! You are!” embarrassingly and Sasuke chuckled, reaching to pull his teammates off much to Kakashi’s eternal thanks. 

“Mah, you little demons will be the death of me!” he laughed, though the mask did nothing to hide his blush. He knew just beyond the wall his fellow jonin were laughing at his expense. “You three show them what you’re made up in there. And whatever happens, know, I’m proud of you all.” He said, ruffling the boys’ hair on either side of Kira. He then leaned down conspiratorially and whispered “I’ve got money riding on my three minions making it all the way. Don’t let me down and I’ll treat you to dinner at the fancy place with the 24 course meals!”

Naruto’s eyes went wide and he started salivating, Kira’s stomach rumbled and Sasuke smirked. “So, if you’re willing to take us there that means you’re getting a lot more than that place costs if we win huh?”

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and the other two laughed. “And what if I am?”

“Oh…we’ll get back to you on that, sensei.”

“Tch. Brats” Kakashi huffed and poofed away, leaving the three two walk through the doors.

 

And into a room packed full of shinobi. The three slid in and were almost immediately assaulted by Team 10.

Oh yeah, them. Naruto repressed a chuckle as they immediately laser eye focused on his poor best friend.

“Sasuke-kun!”

“Sasuke you cutie!” 

Said boy winced as the two crazy girls meant to tackle him and he used a substitution jutsu just before they got there. Sakura and Ino landed on a pile of logs and started arguing about whose fault it was, giving Team 7 a chance to back away. Naruto pulled Sasuke in between him and Kira, hoping that it would deter the girls from going after him again.  
While he knew Sasuke could be a bit of a jealous bastard, he had no idea how Kira was going to be. 

The morning after Kira’s reveal he left them alone to talk while he went to pick up some supplies and came back to find them making out on Sasuke’s bed. He had screamed that he was blind for several moments before breaking out in laughter at their red faces. They had talked things out and were apparently dating now, which while he was happy about he was afraid he’d be a third wheel. Kira pinched his whiskered cheeks painfully and told him that he was her big brother and the Duck’s best friend (Sasuke tried for a new nickname since he was now her boyfriend but she ignored him) and they were all friends and teammates first so he should shut the fuck up and start on the rice. He did, but only after Sasuke came up and gave him a quick fist bump while Kira wasn’t looking and thanked him. 

It was weird, and Naruto couldn’t help but be stunned at how much things had changed, how they all had changed, but it was good. They were all happy together.

And now they were going to kick this exams ass and become chuunin together too.

Shikamaru, a perpetually bored genin with spiky hair approached and started talking shit alongside a chubby boy named Choji who was munching on chips and equally as snippy. Apparently, they weren’t happy that Sakura was on their team because she and Ino, the blonde fangirl who tried to tackle Sasuke, were always bickering. 

“And here I thought the famous Ino-Shika-Cho team, known for their embodiment of teamwork, would rise up to the challenge of adding another shinobi to their group flawlessly.” Naruto spoke, shocking Team 10. He smiled, gratified by their silence. Before the exam they had done research on teams and gathered information on those they knew. Team 10 would be a trapping team, which meant they were of little threat to Team 7 because of their private training.

He had thought that when he saw Sakura he would have swooned like usual, but all he saw was her immaturity and lack of growth. After hearing that all she’d been doing lately is arguing with Ino he knew he was right. His experiences with his team and their mission to the wave had taught him he was more attracted to a person emotionally than physically, like with his brief crush on Haku. He did, however, notice a pair of pale eyes looking at him and blushing from nearby.

“Hey you there!” Kiba shouted. He was a tanned boy with brown hair, red downward facing triangles on his cheeks, wearing a thick fur lined coat, and a small white dog sat upon his head. “Looks like the gang’s all here!” he said jovially. 

Hinata, the pretty pale eyed girl with short, dark lavender hair wearing a light tan coat, was always used to be nice to him even when others weren’t. Shino, the tall but equally quiet boy who wore sunglasses said nothing. Together those three were Team 8. The tracking team. Also not a threat. Naruto smiled disarmingly and waved to Hinata, who blushed deeper and stuttered hello. He found her shyness a bit endearing, and her blush a bit cute.

 

Kira stretched her senses out as subtly as possible. Leaning on her comrades, she closed her eyes and feigned fatigue like she normally did when observing others and analyzing their chakras. She felt the other jinchuuriki close by, his beast stirring as the boy looked at her. His chakra was as chaotic as her own was previously, if not more. Stretching a bit further she found another familiar signature that made her smile internally, not wanting to ruin the surprise she bit the inside of her cheek. This exam was definitely going to be interesting.

 

Sasuke ignored Kiba as the dog boy bragged about their training and tried to egg Naruto on into an argument. It was satisfying to have witnessed Naruto silence Team 10, a group of lazy shit-talkers whom he never particularly cared for. He was also grateful of his teammates guarding him from his fangirls. He guessed from Ino’s defensive posture that Sakura had told her about Kira and the incident in the classroom, which meant they wouldn’t be trying anything with her around. No one else knew anything about her, and everyone was going to underestimate Naruto for sure. Team 7 definitely had the advantage here.

Instead he observed the other ninja in the room, onyx eyes landing on Gaara and his teammates who were watching them carefully. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the redheads focus on his girlfriend. When a voice spoke up from nearby telling them all to shut up his attention was snapped elsewhere. 

A shady looking gray haired kid with glasses went on to berate them for being newbies. Sasuke resisted the urge to scowl. Kabuto, as he introduced himself, warned them about the other shinobi there and apparently was on his seventh attempt. He felt Naruto shift at his side subtly and slip into his mask.

“All right Kabuto buddy! You’re the man! Got any tips for us?” he asked excitedly. Sasuke smirked, knowing full well what the blonde was doing.

“Cute. Okay, I guess I can help you innocent babies out with some info from my shinobi skill cards.” Kabuto smirked and eyed Sasuke.

“Shinobi skill cards?” Sakura questioned. Tch. That girl was so gullible. At least Naruto was pretending.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. “Data cards infused with my chakra on every shinobi here.” A map of all the genin taking the exam and where the hailed from appeared. “Would you like to know about anyone in particular here?” he asked, eyeing Sasuke again. Kira’s body shifted slightly, and he knew she had noticed it too. Something was up with this guy.

“Gaara from Suna and Rock Lee from Konoha.” The raven stated. Might as well see how much info this guy had obtained.

“Aww, you know their names, no fun!” Kabuto mocked and pushed up his glasses. Pretentious fucker. 

Naruto leaned forward wide eyed as the chakra cards came to life and displayed stats on the two genin. Rock Lee was a taijutsu expert, and his sensei was Might Guy. Kakashi had mentioned him once, supposedly the man was the village’s foremost taijutsu expert and Kakashi’s rival. Sasuke definitely wanted to try his skills against Lee now.

Gaara was another matter. One B mission was impressive but…he’s never been injured in anyway. Not a single scratch. That was…interesting. Knowing he was a jinchuuriki with an unstable seal made it all the more so. He really wanted to fight that kid too.

“How about Akirama Senju, from Konoha.” Shikamaru asked and glanced at Sakura. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and next to him Kira chuckled. Yeah, the pinkette definitely warned her team.

Another card was summoned and flared to life. “Hmm…not much data here. High stats in nin, tai, chi…moderate gen and ningu…it seems like my info on this particular genin is incomplete. Other than her being the legacy of the Nidaime and having appeared in the village after many years absence, there is nothing else known about her.” Kabuto’s brows furrowed and he looked at Kira oddly. True to form, she opened her eyes and smiled, waving cheerily and reminiscent of their odd sensei.

“WHAT?!” Sakura and Ino yelled. “What are you talking about Nidaime?!” “You can’t be serious!” The other rookies glanced at Kira warily as she leaned away from Sasuke’s shoulder and laughed. 

“Nice to meet you all! Fair warning, I came here to fuck shit up, so bring your A-game if you want to lose with dignity!” She smiled and flashed a peace sign and received several scandalized looks. The sand team looked on with a mixture of horror and interest. Naruto took a stance and addressed the room.

“Oi! I’m Uzumaki Naruto and none of you bastards are gonna beat me!” He shouted. At this point Sasuke was concentrating very hard on not laughing. His best friend certainly had a talent for gaining undivided attention by pissing people off.

Ino and Sakura flipped and moved to strangle him as the other rookies sweat dropped. Kira stepped in front of Naruto and wagging a finger in a ‘no’ gesture, causing both girls to freeze and back off. Suddenly, several ninja appeared and attacked Kabuto. None of the other rookies were fast enough to move, and even though Team 7 were they were still playing their roles as foolish genin. Kabuto’s glasses cracked and he fell to the floor, throwing up and cursing. Several nearby shinobi including the rookies were amazed at the speed of attack. 

Naruto and Sakura rushed over to the injured Konoha nin. “Kabuto my man! Are you alright?”

“Leave him alone Naruto this was all your fault to begin with!” Sakura admonished while placing an arm around the gray-haired boy. Sasuke grit his teeth and he felt Kira tense next to him. “If you hadn’t egged everyone on then-”

“Add this to your little cards! Don’t mess with ninja from The Village Hidden in the Sound!” One of the attackers spoke. Several pairs of eyes narrowed at the bold statement.

A boom from the front of the room grabbed everyone’s attention and a loud intimidating voice roared. “ALL OF YOU SHUT UP NOW!!”


	9. [WTF times Infinity]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Reveal this chapter-The second origin idea for this fic (the first being my utter disappointment in the lack of Senju characters, because seriously wtf) comes in the form of the "mysterious" jutsu used on the OC, more to come in later chapters!
> 
> In general, my OTP is Naru/Sasu, but I like the idea of eventual babies with sharingan/rinnegan potential, hence Sasu/OC, and the byakugan/jogan from Naru/Hina pairing so heads up on that. If I make it that far I have some ideas for their kids fights and abilities I want to explore... 
> 
> The idea of Team 7 being an amalgam of the three founding bloodlines as a dream team of badasses just fits with the caliber of enemies they end up facing anyway.
> 
> Also, I have a love/hate relationship with Sakura, in that I love the idea of a character representing non-bloodline ninjas who work hard to climb up the ladder, but I hate her attitude towards everyone who isn't Sasuke in the manga and anime and lack of general development. This arc will be where she gets her reality check in terms of finding her strength as a kunoichi and her character redemption will follow suit. Plus, she makes a great temporary Mean Girl, like the pink haired Regina George.
> 
> Lee is the other representation of max non-bl achievement, but he has a much better attitude towards everyone including his enemies and deserves more than he got, which is what I'm planning on giving him later on.
> 
> P.S. Take a shot every time someone says 'wtf' and it's a party.  
> If anyone has suggestions or requests for other pairings, let me know!

To be completely honest, the first part of the exam was bullshit. It was a written test that with rules the proctor Ibiki Morino outlined, that clearly meant cheating was needed to pass. As if the ridiculously hard questions weren’t enough of a clue. And of fucking course Yuki Haku was here, and Kami the flirtatious pretty boy just had to sit next to him during the exam. It took every bit of control Sasuke had to not slam his head repeatedly into the table and instead grumbling 'what the fuck' as the other boy giggled and batted his eyelashes at him.

Sakura had made a fuss during the time the proctor was explaining his rules. He figured she wasn’t confident enough in her teammates abilities to pass, since if any individual failed then the entire team failed. He glanced over at Naruto who was sitting in the front next to the Hyuuga girl and playing the frustrated fool and hid his smile behind his hands. Nothing to worry about there.

Onyx eyes found Kira seated between another Hyuuga and a foreign shinobi. She had her head down and was pretending to sleep, probably scanning the room, or legit napping. Either way she’d definitely pass too. Activating his sharingan, he located one of the genin plants and began copying down the answers to the questions.

 

Naruto may have been laying it on too thick. Hinata-chan offered for him to cheat off her, which truly surprised him. He declined, insisting he would pass on his own merit. After thirty-something minutes and several teams had been kicked out so far for getting caught, he frantically scribbled a few answers, erasing a few and rewriting the correct ones, just to make it look like he struggled. It’s what everyone expected of him anyway. 

He glanced behind him as a genin caused a ruckus with one of the proctors. He eyed his female teammate as she yawned and began writing absently. Sasuke was just deactivating his sharingan, which meant they were all in the clear. 

The scary looking proctor began speaking exactly fifteen minutes before the test ended. Apparently, the last question was optional. However, if you chose to take it and failed, you’d be stuck a genin forever. If you chose not to take it, you’d live to fight another day, so to speak. Anyone who didn’t want to take it had to leave with their team. Kakashi-sensei wasn’t kidding about this teamwork thing, hehe. 

He sat down and made a scrunchy face as a bunch of genin began raising their hands one by one and quitting. When enough had gone, Naruto decided enough was enough. He raised his hand hesitantly, gaining the attention of the proctor before slamming it back down with force.

“Never underestimate me! I don’t quit and I don’t run!!” he growled.

Ibiki stared him down. “I’ll ask you one last time. This is your last chance.”

Naruto smirked. “I never go back on my word. It’s my ninja way.”

“Alright then. All 73 of you…have passed the first exam.”

Sakura-chan and Temari complained a bit, and Ibiki explained about teamwork, testing their commitment and ability to gather information under harsh circumstances. He took off his headband and wrap and revealed his scarred scalp. Naruto winced but was awestruck. The man was definitely an awesome shinobi. He also addressed what it meant to be a chuunin, being faced with impossible choices and being responsible for your team. To be a chuunin you needed more than strength, you needed to be a true leader.

A loud crash sounded and a woman came barreling in, hanging up a banner without missing a beat announcing her as the second examination proctor, Mitarashi Anko. She was flashy and cool and Naruto instantly liked her. She complained that Ibiki passed too many genin, then boasted that she’d have that number cut in half by the end of her exam before barking orders for everyone to follow her. Naruto jumped up and glanced back at his teammates who joined him quickly as they made their way to training ground 44.

 

It turns out that training ground 44, aka the forest of death was no joke. Everyone was asked to read over and sign consent forms in case of death, which was likely. This was a survival death match where the 24 teams started off with either a heaven or earth scroll, and had to obtain the missing one before reaching the tower in the center of the forest. They had five days to get to the tower with both scrolls and all team members intact. They couldn’t leave the forest at any time nor could they open the scrolls until they reached the tower. It seemed simple enough. 

Kira burst out laughing as soon as Sasuke sidled up to her and she saw Haku’s pink lipstick on his cheek. He was scowling and grumbling about the other boy not having any boundaries and what kind of girlfriend was she to accept this kind of behavior. She wiped off the lipstick with her sleeve and placed a small kiss in the spot where it was to placate him before dragging him off to sign their consent forms.

They were seated in a secluded area reading over their forms when Sasuke pulled Kira in for another kiss. She felt her heart beating erratically as the Uchiha held onto her waist and gently massaged her tongue with his own. She tangled her fingers in his hair and wondered when exactly she fell for this moron, and if she really minded it after all. It was odd, knowing he had known her before and had memories she could not recall herself. It had made her feel pressured in the beginning, but now she was comforted by it. Or maybe it was just him that made her feel that way. He smirked and she pulled back, slightly flushed and wondering when she became such a foolish girl.

“What are you smiling about Ducky-chan?”

“Hn. You got jealous, didn’t you?”

Kira huffed. “Of course not. Haku just likes bothering you because you’re so uptight around him. I mean, he’s gay but you’re not his type. Sorry babe~” she cooed and pinched his nose.

“I meant those idiotic girls. And I’m everyone’s type. How do you know Haku wasn’t lying just to keep you from killing him?” he chuckled.

“Oh Kami you’re sooooo conceited!” She slapped his chest playfully and he chuckled. “First off, I’m secure enough to know you only have eyes for me, just like you should be concerning me. Second, you are most definitely not everyone’s type, so shrink that head of yours a couple sizes before you stop fitting in doorways.” Sasuke shook his head and pulled her into his chest, cupping her face gently and bringing it towards his. She blushed furiously under his intense gaze. “And third, I can tell by someone’s chakra fluctuations when they’re lying. Haku definitely isn’t into ducks.”

“Hn.” Another kiss and Kira found herself lost in bliss for a few sweet moments before she sensed Naru-chan’s chakra approaching. She pulled away and giggled at his adorable pout when their blonde teammate popped up.

“Hey guys! Haku-chan went with his team to turn in their forms. Are you guys ready yet? Or do you wanna discuss our plan first?” he asked excitedly, plopping down on Sasuke’s other side and pulling out his consent form.

“We should stick together no matter what. We can send a few shadow clones in mock-teams in different directions towards the other groups. If anything they can act as scouts to find whoever has the scroll we need.”

“Hmm…Ducky-chan is right. I think we should find the river and follow it straight to the tower. It’ll be a good source of food as well as good for our water jutsus and lightning should we need to fight anyone along the way.”

“We can set up traps once we get there, that way we can ambush anyone if we haven’t gotten a chance to get a scroll by then too.” Naruto added.

“Hn. Or at the very least, take out some extra competition.” 

“Fuck yeah! Let’s do this!”

“Kami you two are so competitive! Though I’m glad you guys are on my team at least. I feel bad for some of these morons who are going to be dumb enough to underestimate us, worse for those who fall into your guys’ traps and shit.” She laughed.

“Hey, it is a competition after all!”

 

As soon as they entered their gate Naruto henged a scroll using a seal to keep himself and they sent out five clone teams with the objective of ‘search and destroy’. Kira-chan took the real scroll and hid it away and they took off, hearing some random screams nearby. 

Naruto made a funny face and scratched his eyebrow. “Gotta pee.” The other two nodded knowingly and he went behind a tree. They shunshined next to him where a ninja in a gas mask attempting to attack him. The guy was clearly not expecting reinforcements and was taken down fairly quick. Naruto really did have to take a leak and Kira-chan told him just to go there while they tied up the other ninja and hung him upside down from the tree, stripping him of weapons and searching for a scroll to no avail.

After, they huddled together and Teme suggested a password. It was more bullshit, they all knew, because there was another ninja nearby listening in it would be easier to trick them if the person thought they couldn’t read one another’s chakra. The password was complicated and Naruto once again played the confused fool, marking himself as the target. Sasuke then made a show of asking for the scroll, and Naruto handed him his fake with a bit of a pout.

 

A large gust of wind knocked them apart. Sasuke asked Kira for the password and she recited it with a smile, both knowing already the other ninja had made his move. When the fake Naruto appeared, and recited it perfectly, the other two grinned and attacked him head on. He was surprised enough to drop his henge and revealed himself as one of the creepy grass ninja.

The guy knew they had a heaven scroll, which was bad enough until he ate his own earth scroll and challenged them to a battle to the death. Kira took a stance beside him and narrowed her eyes. 

“Let’s get this asshole Ducky-chan!”

They were suddenly hit by a wave on genjutsu that made them think they had been killed. They broke out at the same time and released the paralyzing after effects, the after images of his death still echoing in his mind. They retreated to a tree and he wracked his brain for a way to escape. This guy was definitely above their paygrade. They needed to escape before-

“Duck!”

A giant snake attacked from above and he quickly launched several weapons at it killing it instantly. It fell and their enemy emerged from its corpse and laughed, taunting them before becoming snake-like himself and attacking. What the fuck was this guy? Naruto then appeared and hit the thing with a barrage of shuriken.

“Sorry I’m late guys. I got eaten by a giant snake and had to bust my way out.” He said proudly. “Woah, who’s the snake guy?”

“Naru-chan! Just in time!”

“Welcome Naruto. Congratulations on your stunning defeat of my giant snake friend.”

“We can’t fight him! We need to go!” Sasuke shouted. The too realistic genjutsu of their deaths and the sheer power the enemy was displaying had shaken him. If anything happened to either of them…he wasn’t strong enough to protect them. They needed to run. He turned to the snake-guy. “Here! Take our scroll and go!”

“Sasuke! What the fuck are you doing?”

Naruto intercepted the scroll just as Sasuke tossed it to the man. “He’s just going to try and kill us anyway Teme! There’s no point-!”

“Kukukuku. Naruto-kun is right you know. Why bother bargaining for your lives when I can just kill you and take your scroll?” He smeared blood on his arm and an even larger snake was summoned. Naruto was just about to attack and was hit, flying back with blood spraying out of his mouth as his eyes took their demon form.

“Shit!” Kira shouted. The snake-guy looked on intrigued and Sasuke called out to his friend. No no no. Naruto couldn’t lose control. Not now. The snake was coming for him but then the blonde stopped it with sheer force of will. Sasuke stared in awe at his animalistic traits and emanating power he was witnessing for the first time. 

“C’mon Teme.” Naruto’s appearance was feral. His whiskers were dramatically thicker, red slit eyes, fangs and claws. “We’re here to fuck shit up, remember?”

An impossibly long tongue reached down and pulled Naruto up. He took the scroll Naruto had retrieved from Sasuke and destroyed it. The snake-guy apparently knew Naruto was a jinchuuriki, shit. He lifted Naruto’s shirt to expose his seal on his stomach and summoned chakra in his fingertips.

Kira ran past him towards the snake and started making hand signs. “Lightning sty-” It was too late. The man slammed his hand into Naruto’s stomach, who screamed out in pain and passed out. “Naru-! Shit!” He then tossed the boy carelessly and Kira jumped after him, catching and carrying him to safety. She lifted his shirt and tried to heal him. “Sasuke! Stop fucking around and get your shit together damnit!”

Sasuke was bombarded with thoughts of his brother, calling him a weak, dishonorable coward for clinging to life. He was weak, and Naruto had gotten hurt because of him. Kira was bound to be next if he continued on this path of cowardice. He needed to save them before this freak killed them too. If he ran from this, how was he supposed to face his brother? If they died, what would be his purpose in living anyway? He snapped out of it and activated his sharingan, now with three tomoe in each eye.

“Kira, let me handle this.” She grunted but gave a short nod.

“Kukukuku. Excellent Sasuke-kun. Come now, show me everything you’ve got.” The snake-man demanded. 

The Uchiha obliged, attacking relentlessly because their lives depended on it and he would not lose. He refused to lose another precious person, especially to someone as disgusting as this. The man was fast, but Sasuke kept up, eventually trapping the man with ninja wire and employing the fire dragon flame technique, resulting in a hot blast of flames directly onto the man’s face.

Which then started to melt off.

“No…” Kira whispered. She picked up Naruto and shunshined to Sasuke. “It’s Orochimaru! Sasuke, you need to run! Protect Naruto and go now! I’ll find you later!” She handed him Naruto and took a protective stance in front of them. He took the boy over his right shoulder but refused to leave.

“No, I’m not leaving you!”

“Kukuku, I’m honored you finally recognized me princess. I’d love to play with you, but unfortunately my time is almost up here. I just have a little present to give to Sasuke-kun before I go.” His neck then became impossibly long and lunged straight for him.

Kira slammed her fist into Orochimaru’s head and it went flying back through the tree behind it and dragging his body along with it. 

“Mother fucker I said GO NOW!”

“And I fucking said I’m not leaving you woman!”

Orochimaru appeared again with an angry glare in his eyes. “So, you truly are her apprentice then. I should have known better than to underestimate you.”

“You have no idea.” She said with a deadly calm that made Sasuke take a step back. “I’m going to kill you and bathe in your fucking blood!” She screamed, igniting her cold white chakra and ran towards him, aiming another fist for the man’s stomach. He dodged and snaked his head around to latch himself on her neck, biting down as she screamed in pain. Her chakra instantly dissipated and she fell limp.

“Akirama! Get away from her!” Sasuke flew into a rage and ran towards them but then the man detached himself and his head went towards Sasuke. Before he could dodge the man had bitten the left side of his exposed neck. Sasuke screamed and crumpled to his knees, Naruto dropping to his side. 

“What…what did you do?”

“Kukuku, like I said, just a parting gift. I wasn’t planning on giving out two of them but considering I’d be a fool to pass up this opportunity, well…let’s just say your blood lusts and bloodlines are strong enough that both of you may actually survive this. I sincerely hope that is the case, wherein, I shall be seeing you two soon.”

 

White hot burning chakra flooded her where the snake bit her. She could hear Sasuke’s screams outside next to her body but she was consumed by her own pain and locked within herself. A voice, soft and familiar…Mama…called her name from deep in the dark, telling her to hold on, to fight. A second, darker and more ominous answered…Orochimaru…claiming her as his own. It was followed by a third that thundered above the others, frightening and transcendent…Death…she was promised to that voice, it’s servant. There were other voices, far away, she didn’t know them. 

At once she felt the source of Orochimaru’s voice being destroyed, disintegrating within her though she felt the pain of every molecules dissolution on a massive scale. She screamed aloud in pain. Death’s voice laughed at her. The first voice, Mama, begged her forgiveness, and the warm brightness of her chakra returned, soothing her, cleansing her pathways and the voices ceased.

She opened her eyes to the forest. Sasuke was huddled over in pain next to her, Naruto passed out on his other side. She put her arms around him and he looked up, the agony clear in his eyes. “Sasuke…” she whispered, tears flowing freely. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, please, please forgive me.”

He looked defeated. “No...I…argghhh!” he doubled over and dug his hands into the base of the tree as if it were nothing but lose soil. She summoned her chakra and channeled it into him, trying to sooth his pain. He settled and finally passed out, leaving her alone.

A while later Kira had set up a base camp of sorts under a large tree. The boys were both passed out, and she was currently too weak to move them and fight potential enemies now. Her body had somehow rid itself of the seal Orochimaru had placed on her completely, but something was different inside her now. Sasuke wasn’t so lucky. She could feel the disgusting chakra in the seal corrupting his chakra network, taking over. Converting it. An examination of Naruto’s seal had been locked with an elemental seal that was out of her depth as well. She had no choice but to wait until the blonde junior seal master woke up so he could figure out how to fix this. Fuck.

Orochimaru was a monster. He had masked his true chakra the entire time up until his face was revealed and then it hit her all at once. It was equal to that of Tsunade, massive and sinister. She should have known by all the snake summons, but she was distracted, too focused on the stupid insignificant exam to see the forest for the trees.

There were three ninja nearby. Formidable, but she could take them if she called upon her power. They were likely going to attack as soon as the opportunity presented itself, when they assumed she was the weakest, but Kira would be ready. She gathered the personal chakra replenishing seals Naruto had made for them and set them on her teammates and herself and waited.

At dawn. Kira had never been grateful for her terrible sleeping habits until that point. Her experiences with going days without rest had always been a nuisance, but now she realized they were just another aspect of training. Launching a kunai on reflex at a squirrel who was approaching, she sighed and returned to her vigil. She smirked to herself as she felt them approach. They took the bait. This was going to be fun.

“Poor thing, you’ve been up all night standing guard, right? You can rest now, just hand over Sasuke so we can kill him and we’ll let you live.” It was the three sound ninja who attacked Kabuto. The ones with something to prove and lacked self-control. Oh goody.

“Hmph. First Orochimaru, now you guys? I’m starting to think my conceited teammate was right about everyone wanting a piece of his ass.” The three ninja looked startled at the mention of Orochimaru’s name. So, they probably work for him then…well that just makes things easier. “If you want him, come get him, if you’re brave enough to try, that is.”

The group launched forward and triggered several well-placed explosion tags, a storm of kunai and a web of ninja wire that snapped inward, nearly slicing off on of the ninjas limbs but succeeding in several minor injuries. Damn, they’re faster than anticipated. They were angry though, which was good. She was about to engage when a flurry of leaves appeared and a voice shouted “Leaf Hurricane!” knocking the ninja on their asses.

“What the f-”

“Who are you kid?” the leader of the sound ninja asked.

“Konoha’s Handsome Blue Beast! Rock Lee!” Striking his dramatic pose.

Kira sweat dropped. “Uh, no offense, but what are you doing here Lee-kun?”

The boy turned and blushed. “You are a fellow ninja of the leaf and Konoha’s beautiful princess, it will be my honor to defend you my lady.” He winked and Kira blinked. Seriously?

“Umm…it’s ok, really…I can handle this-”

“Please! I insist! I will not take no for an answer! Attend to your teammates, I will not allow these ninjas to harm you!” 

Lee didn’t wait for her response as he immediately engaged the others in a destructive fight, Kira took a guarded position over the two sleeping boys and launched weapons at the enemy ninja when they were vulnerable. Taking the opportunity to gather more of her chakra and centering it, easing the chaos within her and channeling it, she realized something was definitely different, she could never control it like this before…perhaps…

Her attention was drawn to Lee’s ferocious fight. The Forward Lotus technique stunned her. But it was his determination that reminded her of Naruto. She smirked. As the student of her sensei’s rival, she expected nothing less.

As Lee fell to the floor, injured from the bandaged nin’s sound attack, Kira growled low and threateningly. She felt Cherry Darling and her team close-by. Too close. That was it. She may not remember this village, or have any friends other than the two boys passed out behind her, but she was Akirama Senju, granddaughter of Tobirama Senju. This village was her home, and the people here her people. She would no longer stand by and let others fight for her. She was a warrior, not a princess. Time to get her own shit together.

“That’s enough.” Her voice was thickly laced with chakra forcing everyone who heard it to freeze in place. “Lee-kun, thank you for your help, but you are injured and I refuse to allow any more harm to come to you. I will take it from here. I will not take no for an answer. Please stand guard over my teammates, and let absolutely no one to approach them other than myself, even if they hail from the leaf. We have been deceived by those disguised as friends before, I would not like it to happen again.” 

She hoped this would deter the other girls from approaching and endangering themselves. The other leaf genin were no match for these assholes. Lee-kun was much stronger than any of them, and he had gone down. She looked over to where Team 10 was hiding and shook her head, subtly giving a hand signal to stay back. She saw the pineapple headed boy and the blonde girl nod in understanding and turned back towards Lee.

“My lady…”

“Now, Lee-kun. As your princess-" she cringed internally at the word, "-that is an order. Do not interfere, no matter what.” She asserted as much authority as possible in her voice. He nodded and she released him from the genjutsu with a wave, allowing him to stumble over to the others where he passed out immediately. Still facing the enemy, she smiled and harnessed her other chakra. “Now then, shall we dance?”

 

Team 10 were still frozen in place as Kira began to emit an insane amount of chakra, blindingly white, freezing and immense and none of them had even experienced anything like it before. She laughed as the sound ninja attacked at incredible speed, matching them perfectly and hacking into their flesh with just a kunai. 

“You bitch!” the female screamed and lunged at the same time as one of the males and their weapons sliced into Kira. She had deep, bloody gashes all around her body from the senbon one of them had launched but she was still smiling, still laughing. It was a dance. She was playing with them. Shikamaru shuddered.

Suddenly, her head snapped towards a nearby tree and she gave the same head and hand signal to stay put. Shikamaru figured some other genin had showed, likely that Lee kid’s team. Shit. She punched one of the guys who had taken the opportunity to slice a large gash into her face and he flew back into the ground making a crater where he landed. “What the fuck” Ino whispered in awe. Kira then grabbed the woman by her wrist and twisted it around, placing her into a submissive position,

“You think any of you are a match for me? That any of the genin here are even on my level?” she asked as she held her weapon to the throat of the female. Her voice was extremely odd. The woman was on her knees, Kira’s foot dug into her back and her hand held behind her back by Kira’s crushing grip. Choji cringed as she heard the bones break when the girl applied force. The other two sound nin stared in shock. “You came here to kill Sasuke on your master’s orders. You think I’ll just sit here and let you take what’s mine?” 

She pressed the blade into the woman’s flesh and growled. “You think that I will allow you to hurt anyone else from the leaf?” Her eyes, the sclera of which were now black for some reason, flicked towards where Team 10 was and up into the trees again before settling back on the sound ninja. “You think I will allow you to get away with your actions?” She laughed, several octaves joined in terrorizing harmony. “You are fools. And you will die in this forest.” Sakura audibly gasped as the blade sliced clean through the woman’s neck, severing her head from her body. 

The bandaged ninja held up his hands, a scroll in one of them. “Please, we concede! We’ll give you the scroll if you just-”

Kira body-flickered behind the man, taking the scroll and placing a hand on his head. “Arigato.” A deafening crack was heard and Kira returned to her original position before the man crumpled to the ground.

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura cried. Ino’s head snapped to attention as she saw her crush standing up slowly, but something was wrong with him. Sakura moved to go towards him but Ino stopped her. The pink girl thrashed but Ino and Shikamaru held her down.

“Don’t Sakura, it’s too dangerous!” he whisper-yelled.

“That monster girl is going to kill him! We need to save him!” she argued.

“No Sakura,” Ino countered. “…they’re-”

“Akirama.” Sasuke’s deep baritone voice broke their discussion. They looked over and saw Sasuke surrounded by an immense, dark, ominous chakra, half his face and body covered in strange markings. “Who did this to you?” he asked, eyeing the remaining sound nin. “Who hurt my love?”

Sakura and Ino gasped and the last of the sound ninja spoke up. “Ah Sasuke! Finally!” He laughed madly, all traces of sanity and hope gone. “It was us kid! What are you-?”

In a flash Sasuke had attacked the guy, beating him senseless and then launching a fire jutsu with shuriken and kunai hidden in the flames. The man dodged barely but was cut up, bruised and burnt. Before he could launch a counterattack, Sasuke was behind him, one foot on his back and holding his two arms at a sickening angle, breaking him slowly. “No one touches her. No one hurts what is mine and lives.” Sasuke growled.

The screams of pain seemed to break Kira out of whatever trance she was in. She blinked, the sclera of her eyes turning white again, and looked at her bloody hands and then at Sasuke before she appeared to register what was happening. She body-flickered over to Sasuke and put her arms around him. “Sasuke! Stop! This isn’t you!” The white chakra emitted from her entire body was different than it had been before. Before it was cold and threatening, this was warm and calming. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Seriously, what the fuck was going on here?

 

The marks receded from Sasuke’s body and he felt his chakra return to normal, leaning back briefly into her embrace. The sound ninja had passed out from his injuries, but he was still alive. Sasuke felt her clutch him tightly and sob. He turned around and cupped her bloody face. “Kira, baby, what the fuck happened? Are you alright? Where’s Naruto?” 

“He’s okay, we…were attacked by that snake fuckers’ henchmen…they wanted to kill you…Lee-kun fought for us but after he was hurt I…couldn’t let the other’s intervene. I used the last of my strength to…” she passed out in his arms and he cursed. Looking over to where Naruto and Lee were he made a mental note to thank the weird hair-cut kid for protecting Kira. She must have used her ‘other self’ as Kakashi called it. But this was more controlled then she had said it was in the past, what had changed?

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura cried, jumping up from her hiding place before Ino or the others could stop her and running to him. “I’m so glad you’re ok!” 

Sasuke looked up and glared at the pink haired girl, stopping her in her tracks. She reached a hand out to touch him and he snapped. “Get away from us Sakura.” 

She looked at him with big green eyes and her teammates walked up behind her. Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder and addressed him. “We’re sorry Sasuke. But your teammate…she signaled for us not to interfere. She made it clear she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt after what happened to Lee.”

Ino put her hands up and smiled softly. “I can heal her, if you want. I have medical supplies and I know some basic medical ninjutsu, I can stop the bleeding at least and treat her minor wounds, if that’s ok.”

He eyed her suspiciously then glanced back at Kira before nodding. Ino approached cautiously and began healing her while Sakura held back, sniffling softy. Choji offered her some chips but she refused and Shikamaru went over to where Naruto and Lee were, Choji following.

“Can I kick him awake?” Choji asked.

“Harm the dobe and I’ll kill you.” Sasuke warned. The chubby boy and the Nara kid stiffened, the latter leaning down to gently shake the sleeping blonde awake.

Naruto grumbled and then jumped up in fear. “Everybody down! Where is he? Where’d he go?”

“Naruto you idiot!” Sakura yelled and stomped over to slug him.

“That warning goes for you as well Sakura.” Ino stilled and looked at him curiously, but his eyes were focused on Naruto. “He’s gone, usuratonkachi. Shut up and toss me a RC scroll for Kira and use another to heal Lee.”

Naruto blinked and looked behind him where an unconscious Lee lay. He shrugged and sat down, taking out two of Kira’s chakra replenishing scrolls and tossing one over his shoulder without looking to Sasuke who caught it reflexively and rolled out the other, activating it and healing the other boy. Sasuke unrolled his and carefully lifted up Kira’s shirt to expose her stomach. Ino made a scandalized noise but he ignored her, applying the scroll directly to her chakra center. Since it was her own chakra stored in the seal, it would work faster and better applied directly.

A girl with two buns on her head dropped down from a nearby tree and identified herself as Lee’s teammate Tenten. Lee woke up and started asking where the sound nin were. Naruto had no idea who he was talking about and Shikamaru explained that Kira and Sasuke defeated them. Lee looked on in awe at the pair, and Naruto narrowed his eyes. 

“Sasuke, what-”

“Later, Naruto.”

The others looked on curiously at them. Sasuke ignored them all and turned back to the girl in his arms. Ino finished up her work at the same time as the scroll.

“Fuckery.” Kira stirred in his arms and sat up stiffly. 

“Kira-chan!” Naruto jumped up and ran over to them and Lee followed with just as much enthusiasm. Sasuke wondered if the two were long-lost brothers or something. “You ok? You look like shit.”

“Naruto! That’s no way to speak to a lady!” Ino scolded. Shikamaru, Choji and Tenten followed and looked on amused. 

“That is correct Naruto-kun! Princess Akirama is a Lady of Konoha!” Lee shouted.

Kira laughed and reached a hand out to pinch one of the blonde’s cheeks. “Still better looking than you Naru-chan.” Sasuke pulled her against his chest protectively. Lee may have defended Kira when he couldn’t but the guy was too familiar. “Hello Lee-kun! Are you alright?”

“I am alright princess! I am honored by your concern, but I must apologize for my weakness. I failed to protect you adequately from those fiends!” He cried dramatically and hung his head in shame.

“Seriously Lee-kun, it’s ok. I would have preferred you not to have gotten involved at all but…I am grateful to you for your help. You are certainly a brave and strong shinobi.” Lee blushed and Sasuke tightened his grip on her waist. “And please, just Kira is ok. I’m not much of a princess or a lady really.” She smiled.

Sakura scoffed and muttered something under her breath but Ino surprised him by shooting Sakura a glare. “You were kinda scary but really badass, Kira-chan.” The blonde kunoichi spoke up, offering Kira a genuine smile. Kira looked at her and blinked before returning the girls smile. 

“Oh thanks…um…?”

“Yamanaka Ino.” She held out her hand and Kira shook it. “I can definitely see why Sasuke chose you. I’d be mad about losing his heart to you but if I’m honest none of the rest of us ever really stood a chance to begin with.” She shrugged and flipped her pony-tail over her shoulder, gathering her supplies and getting to her feet.

Kira laughed and shook her head. “Um thank you I guess? It’s nice to meet you, Ino-chan.”

 

Naruto eyed his companions warily and rubbed his hands over his face. Seriously, what the fuck. “So let me get this straight. That snake bastard-”

“Orochimaru, Dobe.”

“Snake bastard. He wants you guys for some reason, and so he gave you hickies-”

“Curse seals, Naru-chan.”

“Hicky-seals. And Kira-chan’s weird chakra thing destroyed hers, but Sasuke-Teme’s is still there, and it’s corrupting his chakra and making him think bad thoughts, like kill kill kill, and the snake bastard also placed a five-prong seal over my kyuubi seal to prevent me from accessing its chakra?”

“That about sums it up.”

“Hn.”

“Well…shit.”

“So can you fix it?”

“I mean…kinda…”

“Usuratonkachi. ‘Kinda’?”

“That sounds soooo promising.”

“Fuck you guys! At least I’m trying!”

Team 7 sat in their room in the tower. After they left Team 10 and Lee’s team they set off there, hiding their chakra and scents completely and taking out four other teams along the way, laying an abundance of traps. Four out of the fifteen total clones they sent out returned with scrolls too, which they destroyed on the spot. Nine other clones had disappeared some time ago and there were two more wandering about likely setting up traps and wreaking havok. 

When they got there, they opened their original scrolls and Iruka popped out, greeting them happily then with horror at their state of being. After assuring him they were fine, Naruto sealed the room and demanded they discuss important matters. As in, what the fuck happened back there, because Naruto was not about to wait another second in the dark.

He crossed his arms in protest as Sasuke stared impassively back at him. Kira sighed and pulled out a food storage scroll and began setting up some dinner. Resigned to his fate, he huffed and addressed his sister.

“Ok, ok. Exactly what happened again with your hicky-curse Kira-chan?”

“From what I can figure, there’s like, a bit of my mother’s chakra inside me and also a bit of the Shinigami’s…something. The Shinigami’s thing dissolved or ate or basically destroyed Orochimaru’s chakra before it could assimilate to the rest of my network. My mom’s chakra, or what I’m assuming was her chakra, destroyed the rest of it.”

“Wow. Ok. That’s…um…”

“Insane.”

“I was going to say fucking bat-shit-crazy but yeah, insane works.”

“How do you think I feel? I mean, shit guys. It’s the fucking reaper. What the hell kind of deal did my apparent fucking bat-shit-crazy mother make with the bastard that there’s literally a part of him inside me?”

“I think the better question would be, what kind of enemy would warrant such a drastic measure?”

“Teme is right. That’s like, some serious fire-power you got there. Who knows what the hell we’re going to be up against.”

“We?”

“Hn.” 

“Yeah ‘we’. Get over it. If we can help Teme defeat Itachi then we can help you defeat whatever or whoever it is you’re supposed to go up against. Sheesh. Anyway, the good news is you can control it better now, right?”

“I mean…kinda. I still killed two of those guys, remember? Anyway, what about Ducky-chan?”

“They were going to kill us. Their deaths were warranted.”

“Agreed. Well, we can isolate the snake bastard’s chakra and destroy that now. It will take a lot of chakra on our part but we can do it so he won’t be whispering ‘kill kill’ every five seconds. Then we can have Kakashi-sensei seal the other part of it later when we see him so Sasuke can access his chakra without activating it.”

“What will happen if I use chakra in the meantime?”

“It will corrupt your system further. It’s like it’s terraforming your chakra network every time you use it.”

“What the fuck is the point of that?”

“No idea babe, but it can’t be good.”

“No shit babe. What about Naruto?”

“I’ll need Kakashi-sensei’s help with that too. I don’t think I can do it myself since it’s you know…the kyuubi and all.”

“Ugh. We really need to get stronger so we kill that snake fucker the next time we see him. He’s just fucking our shit up left and right. Asshole cock-blocked the fox and gave my boyfriend a hicky-curse.”

Naruto made a scrunchy face. “Eww nee-chan! Don’t say it like that!”

She laughed at him and pinched his whiskers. He both hated and loved when she did that. 

“Agreed on both counts. Orochimaru needs to die and that is definitely a gross way of putting things. I’m not too fond of the fact he gave you a hicky-seal too love. So are we doing this now then?”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s do this before you guys make me puke from all this romantic crap.”

“Shut up. I’ve seen you read those trashy romance novels Baka-sensei loves, you’ve got no room to complain.”

Naruto flushed and waved his hands frantically. “That was research dattebayo!”

“Hn. Liar.”

The blonde grumbled and got into position. Sometimes he really wished his friends weren’t so observant. He definitely was a sucker for romance but he didn’t want them to know that. As if them catching him in his purple froggy boxers last week wasn’t bad enough! Can a guy not have at least one secret? Was nothing sacred anymore?

Nope.


	10. Inner Turmoil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happily surprised there are people reading and enjoying this! Thank you!!!
> 
> Looking to add a chapter every Friday from now on ^-^

Failure. Epic, right-in-your-fucking-face FAILURE. Team 7 was on a losing streak, and it was starting to piss him off.

The dobe’s attempt at using one hundred percent of his own chakra and zero kyuubi proved more difficult when there was evil snake bastard chakra fighting back, over-powering him steadily. Kira was unable to help as her own chakra became immediately unstable upon contact with the seal, resulting in a tug-of war of sorts to pull her own ravenous chakra back inside of her. Sasuke couldn’t do anything but concentrate on keeping what remained of his own chakra in line while listening to his teammates struggle and wage wars within him. His frustration at feeling helpless caused his control to falter slightly, momentarily activating his sharingan. 

Then something happened. A sliver of pure chakra from each of them came into contact with each other all at once and the Uzumaki and Senju were blasted away from him at high speeds, knocking them all out instantly. Hours later they woke up, drained, in pain, but alive. Sasuke’s curse seal was still intact, only it seemed that they had somehow managed to get Orochimaru’s chakra sealed under several gates, though none of them could recall managing that much. 

It was now clear that they all were out of their league, just as he initially thought. They had come so far, and walked into these exams with complete confidence. In fact, if he was being honest, he’d say they were actually pretty cocky, and up until this damn forest catastrophe he knew it had been merited. But while being the strongest amongst their peers, they were still no match for their more formidable enemies, who didn’t seem to be waiting for them to catch up either.

They had worked hard, nearly killed themselves on a daily basis. And for what? 

Sasuke stood behind his teammates in line, while they waited for the results of the second exam. The other genin whispered amongst themselves, he tried to distract himself from his anger by attempting to look underneath the underneath like Kakashi advised them to. Orochimaru wanted something from him. The psycho considered this cursed seal a gift, and seemed convinced it would earn their favor with him. How was this darkness a gift? And what did he want in return? It was likely to be his eyes, but why corrupt his body? Why change it? Unless he wanted that too, but for what? 

His thoughts were interrupted by the announcement of a preliminary round of fights before the third exam. He felt the gazes of team 10 and the others on him, but team 7 remained immovable. Not one of them could use chakra at the moment to save their life, literally, but they wouldn’t call it quits. Not when they had a chance to end this losing streak. 

Since there was an even number of genin present, the third exam proctor declared no one would be allowed to drop out at this point anyway. Kabuto was the only one who seemed upset about this, but quickly recovered when the proctor announced that the only way out was either through death, unconsciousness or forfeit during the match. Either way, everyone had to fight at least a little bit. He shifted his weight as his name was called first to fight Akado Yoroi, one of Kabuto’s teammates.

Kakashi spoke a few words of warning to him before his match but they weren’t needed. As soon as they reached the balcony Naruto and Kira would fill him in on everything quietly. Yoroi was fast, but as usual Sasuke was faster. He knew he couldn’t use his chakra, which meant no sharingan, so he attacked with his tanto blade and threw projectiles to distract his opponent while laying down a spider web of ninja wire to trap Yoroi. The other nin was visibly frustrated that he wasn’t able to get close enough to launch his attack and was being stopped repeatedly. 

Sasuke felt some of this cockiness came back and he slipped up. He had turned to smirk at his teammates when felt his chakra starting to drain rapidly, and he was overwhelmed with those whispers again. 

_Another failure. How pathetic._ Frustration. _So weak. Worthless child._ Anger. _Itachi would-_ Hatred.

His control over his chakra slipped as his emotions overtook his sensibility, and he felt the darkness spread slowly within him and the ninja attacking him startled in fear. He basked in the brief glory of raw power before he heard some familiar voices tugging him back to reality. Remembering himself Sasuke opened his eyes and brought himself together, caging the darkness and ending the fight swiftly by knocking the still frightened Yoroi unconscious by the butt of the tanto. 

He was announced the winner and made his way up to the balcony, unhearing and faraway. Shaken by the sudden urge to feel that power again. It had been brief, but it had felt so good in those brief moments that he knew if he had held on a bit longer he wouldn’t want to come back. And the temptation to feel it again, even for a second…with power like that he could…

 

 

Kira and Naru-chan cheered loud obscenities and assaulted their teammate with hugs when he came up to join them, knocking him out of whatever daze he was in. He had almost succumbed to the curse mark when she and Naru-chan called him back with insults, hiding their panic behind the cheerleader façade, their relief evident in their reception of him post-victory. Haku-chan came over and gave him a kiss congratulation on the cheek and Kira nearly died laughing at her boyfriend’s indignant response, his ability to ignore Haku-chan short-lived

Smiling softly to herself, she thought back to the day she and The Duck went from friends to awkward to friends to ridiculously cheesy.

_Naruto had gone out to get groceries, and Sasuke bombarded her with an apology for that morning in the land of waves, and an explanation for his odd behavior which included; a confession for strange irrational feelings, that which he strongly blamed on his bloodline after having read a few of her grandfather’s notes, his struggle with trying not to feel that way for various reasons mostly due to safety from either him, his brother or any other enemies hurting her and or Naru-chan to get to him or for Mangekyo, a not-sorry for the bridge kiss but yes-sorry for not talking to her after, and a defeated sigh. She had no idea the guy could talk that much in a single sitting or feel so many conflicting feelings._

_Instead of laughing, which she realized was an asshole-ish nervous habit she had developed recently, she remained silent. She had also become a giant hypocrite lately, her words and actions conflicting more often than not. Vulnerability was new to all of them, each finding sturdy inner walls to be a reasonable defense mechanism, but they had allowed themselves to lower a bridge with one another because they realized they needed these bonds to survive. Otherwise, what were they living for? Naruto had been the one to point it out, they were all on the edge of darkness in one way or another, including their sensei. None of them needed much reason for a fight, and hubris would push them to win, but after so much pain, why live, if not for one another. So logically, her brain rationalized that giving into hormones and allowing herself to return her teammates romantic feelings instead of pushing them down as she had since that night he told her about their past, was an acceptable course of action._

_So, she confessed that she was attracted to him too. Drawn like a magnet would have been more appropriate, but she kept it concise. She reiterated that she wasn’t afraid of him or his brother or anyone else, and had been struggling with her own growing feelings towards him, especially since the Land of Waves, as well as that she wanted to explore a deeper bond with him. He was shocked at first, before becoming quite serious to ask if she wanted to be his girlfriend. She wracked her brain for references and the social obligations that came with the title for a few seconds before saying yes, earning her a very un-Uchiha-like smile, stunning her momentarily before he pressed his lips against hers, and then she was lost._

_Unfortunately, her knowledge of relationships was largely based on the Icha Icha series Naru-chan said his father’s sensei wrote and Baka-sensei was literally obsessed with. And while she was definitely not going to be doing MOST of those things, kissing and cheesy-lines were ok. The ‘babe’s and ‘love’s had started off as a joke when Naruto started mimicking them with Icha Icha jargon later that afternoon. Ducky, having been “forced” to read them too at some point previously started using the names just to annoy the blonde back. Less than 48 hours later it stuck, half-joke, half-serious._

_Other than that, she really liked kissing. The physical contact was…thrilling. Physical fighting was fun, she loved the adrenaline of combat and this felt somewhat the same but kissing-! Wow. It was so new, and there was a fighting for power element in it that she could feel even Sasuke’s chakra react to, all while feelings of being wanted, needed, loved, made her feel warm. Alive._

_She could feel his possessiveness in each gesture. It was a strange sensation, being desired to such a point. And yet she found herself mirroring the sentiment. Her knowledge of his clan made her realize the intensity was normal on his behalf, but her own feelings still confused her._

_A small voice whispered that she had said yes for the wrong reasons. That she should have waited until she remembered, until she was sure she wanted this. That he was holding on to more that her, depending on more simply because his feelings had more time to develop and she had yet to understand herself. He was moving fast with her, both in a rush to feel more but for different reasons. Or perhaps the same. She shut the voice down into the pit where she had previously buried her feelings for him. She didn’t want to listen._

_Not when the feelings were too good. She was addicted to it all. To touch. To taste. To him. It was all new, and for the first time in her short-term memory, she had felt good._

_She would not let go. Even if she didn’t understand, she knew, deep down in her very core, this is where she belonged._

 

Kira closed her eyes and surveyed the room. The purpose of the third exam as basically a show of force for each village, so it made sense they’d want to get rid of anyone who couldn’t put up a good fight. All the leaf rookies, Lee-kun’s team, the sand team, Haku-chan’s team and Kabuto’s team had made it. Kabuto was glaring at them, which was odd. Gaara was staring, as usual. Haku-chan was next to them making eyes at Ducky-chan, and that was hilarious because it was upsetting Cherry darling more than her boyfriend at the moment. The dog-boy’s puppy companion was shivering. The animal probably could sense Gaara’s forever-roommate since his seal was so sloppy. 

Because Ducky-chan’s hicky-curse had made a surprise appearance, Baka-sensei dragged him off to go seal it immediately afterwards. He scowled and wished them luck but refrained from any signs of affection. They had been careless before in front of Team 10 and Lee-kun, and with Orochimaru somewhere about and none of them being able to sense him for some reason, this wasn’t the time to flaunt their weaknesses.

The bug-boy from the leaf impressed her as he went up against Haku-chan’s teammate and almost destroyed the guy using literal bug-bombs. Kankuro put on an elaborate puppet show and defeated Kabuto’s second teammate almost killing him as well. Cherry-Darling went up against Ino-chan and the two spent the majority of the fight monologue-taunting about their rivalry for Ducky-chan, ex-friendship, and who was the stronger kunoichi of the two. It was pretty boring to say the least, especially when they ended up with a double knock-out. She did however, find Cherry-darlings chakra control and distribution intriguing enough to make a mental note of it.

Temari was brutal against Tenten. The only reason the blonde didn’t end up killing her was due to Lee-kun’s intervention. So far, it seemed the sand team was more than ok with the battle-to-the-death idea, even if the proctor wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either. Pineapple head defeated Haku-chan’s other teammate through cleverness alone, which was also pretty impressive. Then her name was called and it was time to dance.

Kabuto was looking at her like a piece of interesting garbage. How someone could look condescending and intrigued simultaneously would have impressed her if he wasn’t such a douche. Why did he keep pushing up his glasses like that every time he said something he thought was clever? His trash talk went in one ear and out the other while she zoned out, trying to come up with her own interesting way of shutting the guy up without using her chakra.

He moved fast, mistaking her relaxed-borderline-exhausted posture for an opening. His senbon launched from one direction as he appeared behind her swiping at her with chakra scalpels that smelled faintly of poison…no…a paralytic? So he wasn’t trying to kill her. Too bad. She wanted a reason. 

Suppressing the urge to kill him, Kira moved out of range as if the man himself was made of lava. The intent to kill was bubbling up inside her as she used all her energy to remain calm. Remain herself. This was bad, it was worse than before, but how? How could she go from bad to better to worse? She felt herself start to panic and lose focus. It didn’t make sense, she had to-

Kabuto managed to graze her previously damaged face before she could completely dodge. The paralytic numbed her face but her body reacted on its own in defense as she knew it would, and before her opponent’s smug smirk and glasses adjustment could piss her off even more she moved. Her face sizzled and burned while it repaired itself and her chakra, or rather, the chakra inside her, hummed violently. She was already behind Kabuto, her arm restraining one of his as her hand laid over his stomach where his central chakra system was, and a kunai drawn against his neck with her other arm, a steady stream of blood running down his neck where her blade had already sliced. 

Outwardly, she appeared calm, controlled. She had come out of that debacle of a sealing-attempt on her boyfriend determined to ignore her fear and failure. She needed to focus on the positives in order to keep going, the darkness was too tempting for her, and she refused to even look. Yet now her hand shook with the effort not to keep going. Inside she was seething. She wanted his fucking soul. She craved it. The desire to consume it was reaching its crescendo. She wanted to show him all his crimes, make him relive all his pain. Kira was seconds away from losing this battle with herself and claiming another life. Feeling a familiar spike of fear, she glanced over at Haku, apologies in her eyes as she whispered a word into Kabuto’s ear. His free arm cautiously raised.

She heard him forfeit and she felt Kakashi catch her just as she managed to collapse on the stairs, the darkness taking over her.

 

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like fuinjutsu. Naruto actually really liked it. It was complicated and fascinating and useful. But it was also more than that.

Sealing part of Sasuke’s curse mark was the best idea he could come up with at the time, and it probably would have worked if they weren’t all half-dead and were having chakra-control issues, which Naruto is in eternal absent-mindedness, forgot to account for and the others simply hadn’t thought of in their earnest. Kira-chan’s chakra was chaotic-neutral on the best of days, and with the Kyuubi’s chakra locked away Naruto didn’t quite have a handle on his own. 

Something had gone wrong, and a portion of the snake-bastard’s chakra was absorbed by whatever Death-chakra was inside Kira-chan before she could abstract it, while the bit that Naruto managed to wrangle away from the greedy-chakra was sealed under some heaven’s gates. 

At least, that’s what he figures happened. He doesn’t actually remember sealing the Snake-bastard’s chakra away, but it was done so he’d count it as a small victory. The end resulted in them all passing out cold and waking up a few hours later, with the conclusion that no one should use their chakra for the time being. 

And Naruto, despite the failure/success of the sealing (it did technically work after all), was relieved it didn’t end up worse. His embarrassment at failing his best friend and endangering his little sister by something as simple as forgetting to factor in their current conditions drove him to promising himself he’d never attempt something so reckless again. 

Sealing was too complicated to be risking shit on a whim. Especially when it involved two of his precious people. His shame weighed him down.

When he first learned about his heritage he had been enthralled. He was eager to absorb as much information as possible on sealing to strengthen his newfound connection with his mother’s heritage. That led him to researching Konoha’s sealing experts, one being the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato. 

He had stared at the man’s picture for a long time. He felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. He spent his whole life idolizing him after all, and he was the spitting image of the blonde kage. That meant that the man who sealed the kyuubi inside him was his own father. He didn’t want it to be true. It was too awful. Too morbid. How could his own blood commit him to a life of being hated and despised by the very village he swore to protect? Did he really have no other option? Did he hate Naruto too? Was all his pain and suffering intended?

Desperate for answers, he researched some more about the infamous Yondaime. He found out that Minato Namikaze had learned from the Legendary Sannin Jiraya, the same weirdo who wrote the pervy romance novels Kakashi-sensei loved. He re-read the books with renewed interest, and wondered if his dad was a pervert too like his teacher and student. And that was another thing, if Kakashi-sensei was his student, why didn’t he tell Naruto who his father was? Why didn’t Hokage-Jiji? Why was he lied to his whole life?

The answer he hoped was the third war. His father was an amazing shinobi with amazing skills, a true hero of the war who earned the title of Hokage. And the man was bound to have enemies. Enemies who would definitely come after his son for vengeance. Naruto shuddered. As if being the last known Uzumaki and the jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox wasn’t enough! The thought that someone like Sasuke might be out there, eager to punish the son of the Yellow Flash (ok, that was a cool nickname, he had to admit) for his successes in battle was unnerving. 

Still, it didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt by the secrecy. He spent his whole life yearning to know who his parents were, if they loved him, if he belonged anywhere. Lonely, hated, unloved and desperate for any hint of lineage. Any hint that there was someone out there who wanted him. Something he didn’t get until he became a genin. 

Twelve. Twelve years of being emotionally and sometimes physically starved. Starved for affection, attention of any kind. Recognition. 

He wondered if they ever planned on telling him.

It planted a small seed of resentment inside him. He didn’t share his discovery or confront Kakashi-sensei and Jiji like his first instinct told him to. And really, he so wanted to let them have it for keeping this from him. Instead, he chose to confide in his best friend who ended up reminding him of his promise.

He was going to be the greatest shinobi ever, and he was going to do it his way.

Naruto had wanted to be hokage. He wanted to surpass his idol, surpass Jiji, earn the respect of the villagers. But if he wanted to do that, he needed to find his own path. Otherwise when he finally gets the hokage hat, they’d just look at him and see his father. And while that wasn’t a bad thing, on the contrary, Naruto now found a decent amount of pride in that he was a carbon copy of the handsome hero, it was more that he wanted to earn his own way there. He wanted to be recognized for who he was, himself. Not as the son of the Yondaime, or the Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki. 

He was Uzumaki Naruto.

He liked ramen and hanging out with his team who were also now his family. He trained hard and pranked harder. He hated the three minutes he had to wait for instant ramen. His favorite color was orange. He liked amphibians and was going to surpass all of the previous hokage. He would protect his friends and his village with his life. He would follow his own ninja way.

It was something that Sasuke-bastard understood without him needed to explain. The other boy had idolized his brother his whole life, just like Naruto with the Yondaime. But Itachi’s path to power dictated that Sasuke would need to sacrifice one of his precious people, and Sasuke refused to walk in his footsteps. He declared that he would find the power to defeat the man who killed his clan by being a shinobi his own way. And Naruto couldn’t agree more.

Which is why, when his name lit up on the board to fight against Kiba after Kakashi-sensei again absconded with his other teammate, Naruto chose to fight the dog-boy his own way. He was a pugilist after all.

 

 

Kakashi made it just in time to see his most unorthodox student win his match via a combination of natural gas and natural talent for hand-to-hand combat. The silver-haired jonin had begun the exams filled to the brim with confidence and pride in his genin. After learning about Orochimaru’s meddling from Anko, that confidence and pride was quickly replaced by worry, his fears only subsiding fractionally when he laid eyes on his precious monsters in the meeting hall, standing on their own two feet looking beat to hell and back, but ready to keep going. 

Ready to endure.

He was proud of them, even though they failed at their attempt to save their teammate. They still tried, and had managed to help some as well as survive fights many ninja their superior would have failed. Still, they were taking the losses hard. He hoped for their sakes and for the sake of his wallet (he must have jinxed himself betting) that they’d win their individual preliminary fights.

Which of course, they did. 

And of course, they all revealed how ultimately dangerous they all could be in the process.

They had all been strangely quiet during each of their fights, their contemplative silence and lack of profanity laced sarcasm throwing him off guard. His mind had gone through several stages of panic, fear, grief, relief, worry, and now he was just stressed. 

Orochimaru was after Sasu-chan and Kira-Kun. The curse mark had made Sasuke revert back to an emotionally unstable state, flip-flopping from overwhelmingly positive, protective, and loving, to extremely negative, withdrawn, and hateful. Kira had survived but what control she gained over her own cursed state had been destroyed. She was once again cold, distant, a killer. Of course, he had read in her file about the incident with the bandit/sex-traffickers before he met her, and knew she was different from the boys in many ways, in that, she could have gone straight to anbu without a problem if she wanted. But the Third wanted her to make friends, make progress, and she did. Now, it was as if he was starting all over with them. Naruto was the only one who didn’t seem to have regressed. He was determined to succeed, with or without the help of the nine tailed fox, although Kakashi did find the lack of loud-mouthed brashness troubling.

Kakashi sighed internally as he patted his blonde students head affectionately and congratulated him on his success. The kid had literally outsmarted and beaten the tar out of the loud-mouthed Inuzuka boy and his canine companion, and yet his teammate, the Hyuuga girl, was offering his little Naru-chan some healing ointment. The ever oblivious blonde seemed to have an admirer of sorts. Kakashi’s lone eye glimmered with mischievous intent as he filed the information for later use.

The board lit up, announcing the next match of Hyuuga Hinata vs Hyuuga Neji. He wondered who arranged that briefly before becoming engrossed in the dramatic fight between the estranged family members. His own experience with the main and branch houses of the Hyuuga clan left a bad taste in his mouth. As the last known survivor of his own clan, and his own pack of lone heirs to look after, he couldn’t understand how a clan maintained such a poisonous caste system. Especially when it ended up resulting in such strong resentment that was radiating off Guy’s student. Still, the fact that the girl held her ground against the previous rookie of the year, a prodigy no less, well…that was interesting.

The Hyuuga boy was…unhinged. His attempt at murdering his cousin was disturbing, and would have succeeded without his, Guy’s, Kurenai and Hayate’s intervention. Naru-chan took the Hyuuga girl’s pain personally, and Kakashi could feel his hair turning whiter as the jinchuuriki vowed vengeance with blood. His student’s would be the death of him, he knew it. 

Speaking of jinchuuriki and unstable youth, the fight between Gaara was as incredible as it was disturbing. The sand genin’s bloodlust was palpable. Sakura and Ino had woken up and were rapid firing questions about the battle to Asuma, who just seemed happy the girls weren’t arguing for once and answered thoughly. Guy apparently had taught his doppelganger student a formidable technique that Kakashi couldn’t help but scold his friend and rival on. Opening the eight inner gates was too dangerous, but Guy had faith in his protégé, and deep, deep down, Kakashi believed in Guy.

Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t taught Sasu-chan and Naru-chan certain dangerous ninjutsu himself.

The boy, Lee, managed to open five gates and nearly defeat the half-sane demon vessel before his body was partially crushed with Gaara’s sand attack and Guy intervened. It seemed like he and his fellow sensei had all grown attached to their student’s this time around. Huh. 

The last fight was between Asuma’s last student, the Akamichi kid, and Haku. Kakashi almost felt bad for the kid, as Haku ended the battle quickly and gracefully, much to Asuma’s dismay. 

Pin pricks in his chakra urged him to return to the hospital, his instincts leading him to Sasuke’s room where the ninja who narrowly escaped death at his female student’s hand was moment’s away from killing the Uchiha in his comatose state. Keeping his fury in check, he tried to get what information out of Kabuto that he could before the boy escaped, using an elaborate jutsu to manipulate a corpse of a dead anbu guard to escape.

Although he was impressed, he had to wonder…if Kabuto had enough time to sew a face on the corpse, mimic a heartbeat and erase the scent of death off of the corpse puppet, why didn’t he just kill Sasuke when he had the chance? Why go out of his way? The boy was obviously a spy and working for Orochimaru, but why warn him?

His lone eye narrowed dangerously at the village below him. Orochimaru had come after his pack. Had hurt them. Had made them doubt themselves and falter in their progress. Orochimaru was a threat. Any a threat to his pack was unacceptable, and would need to be eliminated. 

The silver haired jonin felt his age creeping up in his bones, enough life lived for several life-times. He walked over to Sasuke and absently brushed the blue-black hair from the sleeping boy’s head. Yes, his student’s would definitely be the death of him. But what a way to go.


	11. Pre-Game Strong

“That’s…kinda gross dobe.”

“And wrong on sooo many levels.”

“Yeah uh, well…anyway he’s a Sannin so you know it’ll be worth it dattebayo!”

“So now that we know the price your dignity is worth…”

“Aww c’mon! Kira-chan said my sexy jutsu was awesome remember!”

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms while his two bedridden teammates looked on with a mixture of amusement and mock-disappointment. Originally, the blonde was supposed to train with Ebisu, a pervert of mediocre caliber, when they happened to run into a peeping mega pervert of legendary status, the Toad Sage Jiraya. Naruto had ended up using his sexy jutsu to convince the man to train him, and the old perv ended up unlocking the snake-bastards seal as a bonus, so they couldn’t be too mad. He was also supposed to come by the hospital before dinner to look at Sasuke and Kira’s seals, being somewhat of a seal master himself. The happy blonde came by to share the good news and boast about having the best teacher, since Kakashi was going to be training with Sasuke and Kira had yet to meet her new sensei. 

“It is awesome, and I said it would work on morons so…”

The sound of crickets could be heard while the gears turned in Naruto’s head.

“HEY!”

 

 

Sasuke stared at the sleeping figure in the bed next to him, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the window. He struggled to control his thoughts and his breathing as the memories came back.

He had been weak. He couldn’t protect his precious people. And now Naruto was training with someone equal to that of their enemy. _Orochimaru._ The man wanted him, could provide the power necessary to protect. Naruto was strong but Sasuke had always been stronger. He should be stronger. He needed to be. In order to defeat Itachi he had to.

_Itachi._

That was his goal, remember? To kill the man who slaughtered his clan. To avenge his blood so that their spirits may rest. Each passing day they were not at peace. He was not at peace.

And he had gotten distracted. By friendship and love, of all things. _Shameful._ Those things were not important as his vengeance. Bonds could come later, when they wouldn’t be a hindrance. Right now they were no more than just his weaknesses. Targets that Orochimaru and Itachi could use against him.

Sasuke tore his eyes away from her sleeping face and moved silently to gather his things, slipping out of the window without a glance back.

 

 

The following morning just before dawn Kira awoke to an empty room. Sasuke hadn’t spoken much since he woke up initially, and spoke even less after Naruto came back to brag. Figuring he needed space, Kira simply used the time to sleep. 

Jiraya was able to adjust Sasuke’s seal so that it was reliant on his will to keep the darkness at bay, and had been silent when looking for hers. There was no trace of Orochimaru’s curse seal or her mother’s, save for the imbalance in her chakra and the scar on her abdomen that never faded, so he tried to go for a full-body examination. It earned him a strong reaction from both her idiot teammates and her baka-sensei. Resigned to her fate, she declined the old pervert’s offer and decided to opt for extra training. 

If worse came to worse, she’d just end up not using chakra to fight. If Lee-kun could do it, so could she.

_Lee-kun._

When Naruto shared what happened after they left Sasuke’s eyes had darkened. He almost looked like he was excited about going up against someone so merciless and dangerous. Considering Lee was close to losing his career as a ninja, she didn’t quite agree with his sentiment.

Making her way to his room she found him gazing forlornly out the window.

“Ohayo Lee-kun!” she put on what she hoped was her friendliest face and walked over to his bed.

“Oh! Hello my lady-!”

“Kira is fine, please…”

“Apologies Kira-san, I-”

“So when are you going to be able to get back to training Lee-kun?”

He looked down and clenched his fists. She moved over and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. 

“A true ninja endures, no matter what.” She said in a sincere voice, still smiling. He looked up wide eyed and gaped. “You got this Lee-kun.”

She slapped him hard on the back and chuckled before walking towards the window for her escape. “I look forward to fighting with you soon, Konoha’s Handsome Blue Beast! Rock Lee!” She flashed a peace sign before jumping out of the window and making her way towards the bridge to meet her new sensei.

The man with a shinigami mask, _how ironic,_ a jonin from his uniform, was already waiting for her. He faced her briefly and immediately attacked with several kunai before disappearing. She deflected and the chase was on.

 

 

Somewhere on the edge of Konoha Naruto was screaming, as usual. He had been shoved off a cliff and was falling to his death when he finally was able to summon the biggest fucking toad ever to have existed, and was holding on to dear life as the yukata clad beast thrashed and hopped gigantic leaps and bounds, trying to buck him off. Little did the old big ass ribbity son-of-a-bitch know that he was dealing with the future hokage, and nothing was going to stop him from getting his shit done.

Pervy Sage had spent the better part of the morning spying on half naked to full naked women while Naruto worked on his summoning skills, unsuccessfully. He was starting to get frustrated with both Jiraya’s lack of commitment and focus on his training. He was adamant about the “research” thing however, which made it all the more annoying. He was used to a stricter…well…more stimulating training regimen.

It didn’t get interesting until he almost died. He finally got to see the fox, a large beast with intimidating chakra. Chakra that was owed to Naruto as back rent. The demon agreed and now…now it was just fun!

Hanging on to Gamabunta, the giant toad’s name apparently, Naruto expressed his excitement with such a challenge.

“Is that all you got you big pussy! C’mon!”

“Why you filthy-mouthed brat! Just let go already!”

“NEVER!!! AHAHAHAHA!!”

 

 

On the opposite edge of the village, Sasuke was finishing up practicing his chidori on innocent rock formations as Kakashi monitored him with his sharingan. At first, he could only make three in succession before he ran out of juice. He was up to five now. Later, they’d move onto increasing his speed and taijutsu, combining Lee’s prior success, even if it was minor, with Uchiha skills, he couldn’t lose. 

He refused.

Working in silence, the two sharingan holders began their next task.

 

 

When he woke up in the hospital with no recollection of how he got there, minor panic ensued. A lazy chuckle made him look left to find the pineapple headed kid Shikamaru next to him with a basket of fruit.

Apparently, Choji overdid it on BBQ and wasn’t allowed to eat anything.

Naruto decided they should go eat the fruit in front of him. Shikamaru agreed, which is how they got here. In a room, with an injured Lee and a homicidal jinchuuriki. 

The bloodlust rolling off the other boy in palpable waves. Naruto could hear the fox demon growling inside of him, begging to be released so that they could destroy the one-tailed beast and its vessel. 

However, Gaara’s dark speech made Naruto realize one important thing. 

_He’s just like me._ Without his bonds, without Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-teme and Kira-chan, Naruto would be alone. If he hadn’t constantly tried to reach out to others, or if he had embraced the hatred the village seemed to purposely try to breed into him, he would have ended up just as dark and twisted as the boy in front of him.

He would be lost.

Making up his mind, Naruto began forming the seals as he walked calmly towards Gaara, who was seconds away from killing everyone in the room. He would help this boy. He would fix his seal and he would be his friend. 

Everyone needed a friend.

 

 

Breathless and infuriated, Kira growled and attacked her sensei but he moved faster than she could fathom.

_How the hell is he doing that?_

"You fight without purpose. That is why you lose." he stated in a teasing manner. 

"Fuck you! I have a purpose!"

"Oh? And what would that be princess?"

"Don't call me that asshole!"

She moved, a flash, and he was gone before her blow landed.

"Perhaps to use this village to gain enough strength to survive the world, abandoning the village like your cousin?"

"Fuck you!" her fist landed in a tree, smashing it completely. 

"Such a shameful purpose. After all your grandfather and great-uncle sacrificed."

She summoned her clones without thinking and attacked again. _Still too fucking slow._

"Or perhaps you just wish to find a suitable male to help you restore your clan. Is that it? Do you wish to be a breed-mare?"

"FUCK YOU!!"

"No thanks, maybe if you were older...and stronger..."

"ARGGGGHHHH!!"


	12. Redefining Fate

The hyperactive blonde entered the final stage of the chuunin exams with a newfound determination. He had run into Hinata on the way there, and even though she came off as a bit of a shy weirdo, he could honestly say he really liked her. Like, how could he not? How could anyone? How could her cousin Neji hate her so much that he almost killed a sweet girl like her? A fellow leaf shinobi and his blood?! It made him angry just thinking about it.

He had already sworn to beat the other Hyuuga last month when their match was announced. There was no way he would lose. 

“Where the hell is the teme?” he whisper-yelled to his neighbors, Kira-chan and Haku-chan. They were standing in a lineup for the crowd while the hokage-jiji welcomed everyone.

The proctor shushed him and he heard Haku-chan giggle. “I hope he shows up soon, I wanted to give him a good luck kiss!”

Naruto pouts because seriously, why is it always the teme? And where the hell was the guy anyway? This is like, one of the most important events of their lives! How could he choose today of all days to be late??

“Alright! First match, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. You two stay down here and the rest go up to the waiting area until I call you!” the proctor dismissed them, and the three sand ninja left without a word. Shino, the creepy bug kid and Shikamaru just nodded at them before following suit and Haku-chan gave him a glossy kiss on the cheek before sashaying away, much to the amusement of the crowd. 

Last was Kira-chan, who laughed and ruffled his hair. “Don’t hurt him too bad Naru-chan.” He heard that Hyuuga bastard scoff behind him but they ignored him. 

“I won’t! And I won’t lose either!”

She gave him one of her flashy smiles and peace signs before sauntering away, leaving him alone for his big moment.

“Match one! Begin!!”

He ignores the kid’s condescending-superiority-complex-laden commentary and goes straight for his shadow-clone jutsu, using a dozen clones to attack while he and a few others start laying the groundwork. He’s playing it up as usual, as to not to scare the villagers and lull them and his opponent into a false sense of victory. Neji is fast, and with the byakugan active, Naru has a tough time finding a blind spot while holding back. 

Meanwhile, Neji employs the same mind-game tactic he used on Hinata and tries to verbally destroy whatever confidence Naruto has.

“You’ll never be hokage.”

“You weren’t born for that fate.”

“Determination and hardwork alone will not get you there.”

“Death is the fate that unites us all.”

Neji goes for a clone be believes to the real Naruto and he finds some smug satisfaction that the Hyuuga is actually surprised to find out he was wrong. The blonde decides this is the time to bait the hook and attacks, getting Neji to finally use rotation.

It hurts. A lot. By the time he gets to 64 palms and starts going on again about fate Naruto is already on the verge of laugh-crying because really, reading about the Hyuuga technique was one thing but experiencing it is another. That, and he kinda likes the fact that the crowd is impressed by how strong Neji is. It will only make the message he sends by winning even louder.

“Your dreams of defying fate are just fantasy. You are destined to lose here.”

At that the blonde jinchuuriki laughs aloud. “You’re such a know-it-all bastard y’know!”

Neji tries to hide his indignation and surprise that Naru is standing but his best friend is an Uchiha so he’s excellent at reading minute expressions of emotions. 

“I have no grudge against you.” The Hyuuga states.

“Yeah, well that’s too bad cause I’ve got one against you! You think I’m just gonna lay down to some shitty-imaginary fate you’ve dreamt up after what you did to Hinata?!”

“You don’t know anything.” 

“Yeah, well then why don’t you educate me, asshole!”

Neji tsks. “Fine.” He removes his headband to reveal a seal. Perfect. Naruto’s mind instantly starts mapping out the seal and it’s intricate weaving while Neji speaks. “This is The Caged Bird Seal. It is handed down to all branch members of the Hyuuga clan. It is proof that we cannot escape our fate.”

He manages to look confused as he works. Of course once he realized that Pervy-sage’s training was going to be focused on controlling the nine-tails chakra, he also realized he needed to gather intel on his opponent. His own research was more respectable than his sensei’s (or so he told himself, some of those girls would be good models to use for his sexy-justu, but then again if someone he used it on happened to run into his ‘inspiration’ in real life it would be a problem for them so…), but his methods had merit. Spying on a byakugan user was risky, so he had to be extra stealthy. He also read as much as he could about the clan style of fighting, which is where he came across the info for the curse seal. He was starting to get really tired of dealing with curse seals. It seems his ancestors’ ability was being used for so many nefarious purposes, and he could almost see the silver lining in their demise. The thought immediately filled him with guilt, as there was no way to know if they would even condone such uses. In his heart he knew they would not. Which is why he wouldn’t either. Seals weren’t exclusive to the Uzumaki clan, and his own love-hate relationship with them was chaotic, but he still viewed it as his responsibility to right their usage. His birthright even.

Now fighting Neji, he realizes in a sick way that this may be his own fate. To undo what should have never have been done in the first place. A one-man clean-up crew of sorts.

Neji tells the story of his father, the second born twin to Hinata’s father, and subsequent designation as second-class citizens within their own clan, his duty to protect Hinata, the heir of the main branch, her thwarted attempted kidnapping by Cloud ninja, and his father’s sacrifice to prevent war between the two villages. The curse mark can invoke immediate pain and or death, all in the name of protecting their bloodline. It was barbaric.

“My fate is to serve the main branch of the Hyuuga until my death. Your fate is to lose this match.” he finishes, replacing his headband.

“We’ll see about that! We all determine our own fate! Even a bastard like you!” Naru stands up fully and wipes the blood from his mouth absently. “I won’t lose!”

“You understand nothing of my curse! My fate!” Neji was getting frustrated now. Good.

“Ha! You couldn’t be more wrong. This is a ninja village. There are plenty of people here who have suffered. Who have lost. Who have been cursed. Even Hinata who is in the main branch suffers. But we are ninja, we endure and we…we define our own fates!”

Neji scowls at him. “You’ve already lost idiot! You can’t use chakra! How can you honestly stand there and tell me you are going to defy your destiny to lose? It’s impossible, can’t you see that? Or are you just too stupid?”

“Destiny my ass! I’m not stupid! I’m a loser, and proud!” He concentrates and speaks to the fox. 

_**Anytime now furball!** _

**Watch it brat!**

Red chakra starts swirling around him in nine elongated tail-like whisps. Naruto growls low in his throat as his heightened senses reveal an enemy in their midst, but focuses on the task at hand. He quickly moves around the arena, circling his opponent like prey and launching projectiles at him while the other deflects with rotation.

Almost there.

The destruction they’re causing is nothing to what Naruto is about to do. “When I become Hokage, I’ll change the Hyuuga clan! But since there are no short cuts I guess I’ll just start with you!”

Neji finally falls into the trap. It’s a relatively harmless one, only designed to keep him in one place while Naruto completes his suicide mission. “Your fate is what you make it, Hyuuga bastard. The next time you look in the mirror, remember that.”

He slams his palms onto the Hyuuga boy’s forehead and stomach and there is an explosion of chakra that rocks the stadium. No, undoing this ugliness is not his fate, it is his choice. He could simply defeat this boy and walk away now, leaving it for another day when he finally had the hat, going through years of bureaucracy that even them might amount to nothing. But that wasn't him. He wouldn't allow anyone to suffer if he could help it. And maybe, if he helped Neji, it would help Hinata too. Perhaps in the long run the other Hyuuga's as well, if they didn't immediately demand his head after this at least. Neji screams in pain but Naru keeps holding on until it is finished and he is sure the other boy is safe before he lets go.

When the smoke clears, Naruto is holding the passed out Hyuuga bridal style. He lays him on the ground and kneels by his side smiling. The Hyuuga clan might kill him for this, but he’s sure it will be worth it. After all, what kind of hokage could he hope to be if he didn't help out a fellow leaf shinobi in his time of need?

“The winner is…Uzumaki Naruto!”


	13. A Shinobi Pissing Contest

Fuck.

Sasuke hadn’t shown up yet, and the powers that be were so hard up for his match that they decided to postpone it and move on to the next one. Fanfuckingtastic.

She scanned the rowdy audience with a critical eye. Vultures. Sheep. Oxymoron’s with an emphasis on the moron part. The same people she was sworn to protect. The same people who made Naruto’s life miserable, who placed Sasuke on a pedestal, who followed blindly and demanded blood with such fierceness that threatened revolt if they were left unsatisfied. The simultaneously innocent and guilty. 

_What was a shinobi anyway?_

Her training with Kaito, the mask wearing jerk who literally made the last month of her life miserable, had been less about developing her skills as a shinobi and more about breaking her into a million pieces repeatedly. His training was torture, sometimes quite literally. She was starved, sleep-deprived, placed in harsh grueling environments, and attacked relentlessly over and over and over again both physically and psychologically, and not just genjutsu.

_What was her purpose?_

She didn’t know why he got under her skin so easily, but he did. His voice, his fucking voice and his fucking questions and accusations and just...fuck. He read her like an open book and it took her a while to realize he had known things about her that no one outside her team should know. Hell, no one outside of her fucking head should know, but he did. 

She tried to turn it around on him, figure out who he was. What pissed his impenetrable and infuriatingly upbeat ass off? The seals on his body let her know that both his appearance and chakra were masked, so she could disregard the brown hair and eyes and tan skin for any hint. Even his name was a lie. But his training was truth in its ultimate form. She never did find out shit. 

It was like he didn't exist. Her own personal specter haunting her. Hunting her. 

Yes, he destroyed her. Yes, he made her pull herself together. He asked her the same three questions knowing she had no answer that would satisfy him. The wheel turned and the cycle repeated so many times she lost count and she didn’t know how she just kept getting back up and growling for more but in the end she was made whole. Well, mostly anyway. She was in control of herself now. Her chakra was hers and hers alone. She would not lose herself to the god of death within her.

_What was she fighting for?_

Out in the arena, Kankuro was fighting Shino. The sand boy tried to forfeit but the Kazekage would not allow it. Angered and embarrassed, the pajama wearing nin was violent but sloppy. Shino’s bugs ate away at puppet and puppet-master alike. In the end, Shino was poisoned and bloody but declared winner. Kankuro fainted from chakra exhaustion, and both were taken to the infirmary. Next was Shikamaru and Temari. 

Naruto was standing between her and Haku with an uneasy look on his face. A little bit off to the side was Gaara, brooding but looking a little better than when she last saw him.

“What’s wrong, Naruto-kun?” a soft voice asked from his right side.

The orange clad boy glanced from the other boy to her to back to the arena. “I know you guys have a fight each other soon, and I’m worried one of you might get hurt. You’re both my friends and I…I don’t know what to feel right now” he whispered.

Kira sighed and looked at Haku, who smiled softly and put his hand over Naruto’s on the railing. “You don’t need to fret that pretty little head of yours, Kira-kun and I understand what this stage of the exams is about. While your fight was one with purpose and honor, our fight will be little more than a flowery exhibition.”

The blonde looked up surprised and gasped. “What? Really? You guys aren’t taking this seriously? Your status as ninja’s is on the line here too dattebayo! You can’t just give up or get away with pretending y’know!”

“Shhh!!!” Kira slapped his forehead playfully. “We know that blondie. We are just going to go about it in a way that…you know what, just trust us, ok?”

He looked at them both suspiciously as if to ask if they were sure. Haku squeezed his hand and he sighed in acceptance. “Ok then, if you’re both sure…”

“We are Naru-chan. Promise. If there’s anyone you should worry about, it’s our other idiot teammate.”

“Oh yeah huh! Where is that teme? I bet he and Kakashi-sensei are just out there being late for no reason other than to piss us off huh?!”

Haku giggled and whispered a response but Kira didn’t hear them, choosing to focus on finding Kaito’s chakra that was hidden in the crowd. 

_What was a shinobi?_

Dimly, she registered the blonde cheering on the lazy leaf shinobi in his own profane manner that brought a quirk to her lips. They watched as the boy out maneuvered the cocky fan-girl who herself was a heavy hitter. Kira found herself admiring the other female’s strength and tenacity as much as the male’s strategic prowess. It was almost disappointing when he gave up just as he was about to win, stating he would not have enough chakra to go on to the five-for-all brawl match that the participating Kage’s decided would be the end finale to this spectacle. Well, now four-four all, since Shino would not be in shape to participate. Too bad. 

As the arena was put right again, she made eye contact with Haku. The boy was once her enemy, victim, and now friend. She would not do him the dishonor of going easy on him, but neither would she be so brutal. He had suffered enough.

“Are you ready to have some fun Haku-chan?” she smiled and held out her hand as she bowed.

“Oh yes Kira-kun, I do love putting on a good show you know.” He giggled and took the offered hand and they shunshined down together. There were some grumbles in the crowd at how friendly the two were, considering they were from different villages, but they ignored them.

The proctor yelled for them to begin and Haku, in all his grace and glory, launched a tidal wave of senbon in her direction. His ice-blue satin kimono shimmered as he moved fluidly dodging the senbon as they were sent back in his direction almost immediately by her manipulation of the water in their ice coated tips. 

Their speed was carefully maintained, so that they could still be seen by the onlookers but only just. This was after-all, a dick-measuring contest between villages. She scoffed inwardly at the idea, but maintained her part of the act.

Focusing herself, she began making hand signs with her left hand and used her right to fling paperbombs in Haku’s direction. The boy created an ice dome to block the attack with one hand and used the other to begin a set of semi-familiar ones.

“Secret Technique! Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!”

The crowd gasped at witnessing the rare spectacle. Kira was trapped inside and for all purposes seemed to be standing still as an innumerable amount of senbon seemed to shred her into pieces before she made her move.

“Lightning release! False darkness!” A spear of lightning emerged from her mouth, and she rotated in an almost 360 degree circle, destroying all the mirrors except one. She knelt to the floor as the mirrors shattered and focused on turning the ice into water to be absorbed in the soil just as Haku emerged from the last remaining mirror. He bought out his kunai and attacked with powerfully fast taijutsu.

She jumped back and as she was defending herself with her own kunai in her right hand she quickly started making more signs with the left.

“Water release! Water Fang bullet!”

Reverse-tornado-like bullets emerged from the dirt and Haku dodged easily, using his free hand to change the shape of the water into “Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!” 

“So fucking cool” Kira whispered to herself as she dodged the damn things from all directions. Smiling madly, she dug her left hand into the earth as if it was made of sand and the ground itself erupted in a rain of gravity-defying boulders that shot straight up eighty-feet before they came crashing down purposely in Haku’s ever-changing position.

_What was her purpose?_

Haku’s smile matched her own as ice spikes emerged and destroyed the boulders that threatened to crush him, surrounding him in a fine dust of earth and snow. Recognizing the signal, Kira buried her other hand in the ground and concentrated her chakra to reshape the ground from the cavernous jagged mess to a flat clean surface, as if nothing had happened. 

The two shinobi faced one another on opposite sides of the previously utterly decimated arena, looking completely untouched and unaffected by the barrage of attacks that should have tired them out. 

They bowed to one another and turned to the proctor. 

_What was she fighting for?_

“We forfeit!” they said in unison, causing the crowd to once again erupt in a combination of cheers and disbelief and scattered outrage. 

“Uhh…” the proctor looked to the kage who chuckled and nodded. “Alright then! Double-loss! Neither participant will be moving on to the finale! Next match, Sabaku Gaara versus Uchiha-”

A flashy poof and some well-placed leaves revealed the previously missing Uchiha and their beloved perverted sensei, standing back-to-back in what must have been a well-rehearsed pose. Man, after a month the sadistic Kaito, Kira was way too happy to see her other masked sensei/big bro and barely contained the urge to hug the life out of him. Her eyes briefly swept down her boyfriend’s impressive form in appreciation of his new outfit and increased definition.

_Kami help me I’m turning into a fucking pervert like baka-sensei!_

Resisting the urge to face-palm herself and containing her blush, she turned to made eye contact with Naruto who was practically jumping up and down next to an ever-irritated looking Gaara in the participants’ box and the two smiled widely at one another. They pointed at the late arrivals and with gusto shouted “YOU’RE LATE!”


	14. Fury and Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since I had to account for Mizu attending the Chuunin Exams, it made sense to me that Orochimaru would increase his recruitment of troops heavily and would attack with a larger force. Official end of childhood era for the (other) rookies and acceptance as true ninja.

A month with Kakashi was enough for a lifetime and yet now that it was over and it was back to the real world he wasn’t sure how he should feel. He didn’t want another father or an elder brother, and the gray-haired man didn’t try to be either. Instead he had become something in-between, a bit of both and neither. Their training had given Sasuke a chance at deepening a unique bond, one that provided him with stability. Perhaps a little sanity even. Kakashi was a mirror that held the power to make Sasuke to see all his ugliness and potential for failure as well as success. And after many grueling hours of pain, harsh realities and physical torture, he came to realize that Kakashi was a necessary evil. A devil’s advocate with a perverted charm and a forceful insistence that they be fashionably late. 

He assured himself that his irritation was a good thing. He was from a fire clan and anger was the fuel that would feed his flame. He just wasn’t expecting it to be so…difficult.

He had missed them both. He could smell her jasmine hair-wash on the breeze and felt her ruby orbs burning him. He could see the bright orange aura radiating off the blonde and hear his shouts above all others. He was an asteroid adrift being pulled into their orbit. 

Their very presence was home.

He ignored them.

Focusing his gaze on the redhead who had appeared before him in a wave of sand, he assumed his form. It helped his façade that he could sense the seal Naruto had finally placed on the other jinchuuriki, meaning the boy would not be as blood thirsty and therefore less of a challenge. As wrong as it was, he had wanted to face an unchained Gaara, and now would be denied the opportunity. That alone was reason enough to win. He had no excuse for failure now.

He barely heard the proctor dismissing everyone. The roar of the crowd was dull background noise. The steady thump of his heart was all that mattered. 

“BEGIN!”

Anger was his power. He harnessed it in every punch, every kick. Every time he made contact with his opponent, he was unleashing his fury. Gaara’s sand whipped around in frantic defense as Sasuke’s speed and power increased steadily. 

The powerful hits they took rocked them back and propelled them forward in a match of unspoken will. The two shinobi remained silent in their battle, speaking only when calling forth their chakra attacks and grunts. Gaara’s green eyes narrowed at him and his deep gravelly voice commanded the sand like a master. Sasuke’s fire roared within him and erupted so that it encompassed the entire ground floor and his opponent cocooned himself in sand. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see his team watching him intently. Naruto was talking lowly but his mouth was hidden in his large collar so he couldn’t read his lips even with his sharingan active. Whatever he said made Kira’s lips part slightly and her grip tightened on the handlebar. Kakashi’s lone eye narrowed but held no other reaction.

His attention was drawn to Gaara who was now launching long-range attacks that were destroying everything they touched. Sasuke made the hand-signs for chidori and the sound of a thousand birds chirping could be heard over the cheers. He moved with astounding speed and thrusted his fist forward. Gaara caught his hand in an iron grip of sand with crushing force, he briefly wore a satisfied smirk before it quickly disappeared right along with Sasuke’s clone.

The original Sasuke smirked sadistically from behind Gaara as his tanto blade pressed against the base of his neck, drawing the slightest trail of blood.

“You lose.” 

Gaara’s eyes widened and he fell forward onto his knees. His hand trembled as it reached back and tentatively touched the red wetness there before bringing it before his eyes and marveling at it with fear and bewilderment. Pale green eyes filled with hate glared at him before the now almost completely paralyzed boy voiced his defeat.

The strategy had been to lull Gaara into a quick, clean single-minded combat scenario, so that he would be unlikely to suspect the attack from behind. A non-deadly paralytic would give Sasuke enough room to apply the spare seal Naruto had created a month ago, this being the only foreseeable opportunity to do so. Just because he had one less step now didn’t mean he would be deviating from the plan. But the fact that _this boy_ had been staring hungrily at _his girlfriend_ , had been standing next to _his best friend_ , the same best friend that failed to release _his curse seal_ made him want to push the blade forward and claim his miserable life for his own.

A dark, cold voice slithered into his subconscious, urging him forward. His arm was still raised, the blade unmoving. Steady as his heart beat. Ready. _Willing._

Silence fell like a weighted blanket. 

Sasuke looked up to see feathers falling from the sky. He turned around to see Naruto gripping Kakashi’s arm tightly. Kira was nowhere in sight, and most of the crowd looked as if they had fallen asleep or were in the process thereof. Before he could voice his confusion a loud boom was heard, and he picked up a sudden heavy increase in chakra signatures followed by more blasts and booms.

They were under attack.

Gaara’s teammates appeared before them and were shaking the redhead boy as if to wake him up from his open-eyed slumber.

“What are we going to do! The plan won’t work without Gaara and Kankuro is still unconscious! This wasn’t supposed to happen!” The girl was angry and panicked. _What plan? Were they part of this?_ He noticed Sand ninja fighting alongside Sound against Leaf and Mist. _Fuck._

“What did you do to him Uchiha!” The half-masked jonin leader growled. Sasuke was about to attack them both instead of deigning an answer when Kakashi and Naruto popped up.

“Sasuke, give him the antidote quickly. They’re on our side and we need all the help we can get. I’ll explain later.”

Kakashi’s tone left no room for argument, and even though he was skeptical, _they were under attack for fuck’s sake,_ he obeyed. Naruto helped the other boy up and Kakashi shouted orders for them to take up positions near the gate before disappearing with the proctor. Naruto started to argue but the sound of the Kage’s fighting in their booth drew pause.

The Hokage and the Kazekage, _no, not the Kazekage, Orochimaru,_ were locked in a heated battle while the Mizukage spat _fucking lava_ in the snake’s direction. Nearby, Kabuto was going head to head with a young man with sharp teeth and a large sword. In the stands, Kakashi fought back to back with Might Guy, as the proctor, Teams 10 and 8’s sensei’s were protecting passed out civillians and shouting orders to their genin and other conscious ninja.

The female sand nin was screaming something about her father when her jonin yanked her out of the way of the molten rain that hailed down on them.

After that they ran.

He was side by side with Naruto as they fought their way to the gate. Gaara and his two companions branched off to the right to and fought their own people, yelling unheeded orders to stand down. To the left he saw Haku and Zabuza taking on giant snakes and sound ninja, cutting through them like butter.

“TAKE THAT YOU DICKLESS BASTARDS! NO ONE FUCKS WITH THE LEAF WHILE UZUMAKI NARUTO IS AROUND AND GETS AWAY WITH IT DATTEBAYO!!”

Sasuke laughed freely as Naruto’s sexy-justu’d clones tackled some stunned sound and sand ninjas and hit them with bone crushing punches. The original grinned at him and formed a wind jutsu and Sasuke followed with his flame, increasing their range and attack power and dispensing every enemy in their path.

It didn’t take long after that but by the time they made it to the official entrance to the village they were covered with blood that was mostly not their own and amped up on adrenaline. Once again screams and voices were muted and his blood thundered in his ears. Team 10 had beaten them there along with Kiba and the bun girl and the six genin were surrounded on all sides with a small opening in the middle.

Sasuke destroyed another large snake with chidori, he had lost count by now, and Naruto’s appearance and change in chakra told him he was utilizing some of the kyuubi’s power. He realized that as they fought side by side Sasuke felt a strange sense of harmony. Naruto was his ideal partner in battle, reading Sasuke’s movements and utilizing their attacks in perfect synchronization that left no enemy standing in their wake. 

It should be frightening him how much he was enjoying this.

With a roar he charged forward, Naruto at his side never missing a beat or an opportunity to insult their enemies with uniquely offensive commentary. They broke into the center of the Konoha line of defense at the same time as Gaara and the blonde, their third being carried on the boys back.

Naruto stepped forward, concern lacing his features. “Is he-?”

“Baki is alive for now, but he needs medical attention. He took a hit intended for Temari.” Gaara replied as he carefully laid the man down.

“Um…I can help.” A small voice offered. Sasuke barely noted his surprise when Sakura stepped forward hesitantly.

“Sakura-chan, you know medical ninjutsu?” Naruto questioned. His tone was kind despite his slightly feral appearance. 

She averted her eyes from Naruto and glanced at Sasuke briefly before blushing and turning back to Gaara. Two shades of green eyes met in a steady gaze. Her maroon dress was caked in blood and her fists were clenched at her sides. She nodded hard. “Yes I can. I…A friend…”

“Explanations can wait until later billboard brow! We need all the help we can get right now so stop talking and start healing!” Ino shouted from her position. She and Shikamaru were defending their north point, while Kiba, Akamaru and Choji manned the East. The bun girl and the blonde, Temari, were now covering the west while Naruto’s clones held the south and drove the enemy further into the village where they’d have less room to escape.

Sasuke turned back to the original Naruto and Gaara, his insides twisting a bit. “You two take the clones and go chase down anyone who’s tried to escape or is heading towards us from the forest. We’ll handle things here.”

Naruto looked as if he was about to argue but Sasuke’s face was hardened even as he sliced the throat of a female sand ninja who made to attack their line. “Right! Let’s go Gaara. Be careful Teme!”

The raven nodded as two jinchuuriki had left without another word and the fight at the gates began to heat up. The others fought tirelessly alongside him when he abruptly felt a familiar presence speeding towards them. He tried not to react when she landed in the middle of their ring and slammed her hands onto the ground. Countless threads of lightning spread out and around their allies striking and disabling every enemy within mid-range and they dropped to the floor. He turned to see her, her hair was loose and the ends dripped crimson ink. Her long-sleeve loose shirt had been reduced to a sleeveless crop-top and her pant legs had several large holes, as if one of the snakes had tried to eat her, revealing what seemed like miles of pale skin haphazardly stained red. _She’s been reckless._ Her eyes on him were cold and appraising.

“Sen-senpai!” Sakura stuttered. She had just finished healing the sand jonin, Baki, and wiped the sweat/blood from her large brow. _Senpai?_  
He watched as his girlfriend turned from him and smiled at the pinkette. “Hey Cherry! I came to get you and Sunshine, we need you at the east-quadrant, there’s a shortage of med-nin’s and they’re spread thin right now.” Ino nodded and came forward quickly as Kira reached in her side bag and brought out a couple mini RC scrolls. She tossed them to the girls and addressed the others. “Hot Buns, Sand-Babe, this dude,” she pointed a thumb at Baki, “and the Mutts-” 

“Hey!”

“-stay here and take care of any fuckers trying to flee. Shika, Cho-san, and Sasuke, we need you in the center.”

He expected there to be protest but there was none. At least until Kira suddenly screamed and clutched her stomach as she crumpled to the ground. Sasuke’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the sclera of her eyes flash black before she closed them tight and he was rooted to the spot. _No, not again, not now._ The others were torn between maintaining positions and going to help but a man in a Shinigami mask appeared out of nowhere and cupped her face forcing her eyes open. 

“Damnit! Akirama! Look at me!”

“Ah! Fuck! It’s-!”

“NO! You’re stronger! Fight it!”

“It’s not-! There’s-!!”

She faded in an instant and the man was holding onto air. Sasuke’s own voice was now far away as he screamed her name, launching himself at the strange man in a futile attempt for answers and a punching bag. He was pushed away and held back by Shikamaru and Choji.

Behind them the unmistakable presence of the Kyuubi and what could only be Gaara’s tailed beast flared to life and a giant snake that towered above all others could be seen above the trees. The clash of giant beasts shook the earth violently.

The man faced the center of the village where a sealing pillar did nothing to keep the sudden ominous chakra from seeping out. He turned back towards them and addressed Sasuke directly through his mask. “You all have your orders. Go now.” The man was gone in an instant and he felt his arms being tugged before he snapped back to reality.

He sped towards the center, jealousy, fear, confusion and the rush of battle igniting his entire body in a heated rage. A pink and blonde blur sped towards the east as he rushed to his own destination, Shikamaru and Choji close behind. 

He heard, rather than felt, the crunching of bones, sizzling of flesh and splatters of blood as he continued to fight. The steady drumming of his heart did not falter.

Bodies littered the village like morbid confetti. Leaf. Sand. Mist. Sound. Civilian. Men. Women. Children. Death did not discriminate. 

His mind stuttered. Visions of his clansmen replaced those around him. Blood. There was so much blood.

_Mother. Father._

The fire that had been building within was reaching a precipice. 

The thumping increased.

Somewhere out there was someone shouting his name. 

He ignored them.


	15. interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a hundred degrees and my laptop is a furnace.

What happened in the second stage of the Chuunin Exams had scared them. No, scared wasn’t enough. Frightened. Scarred. Awakened. These words were more efficient. 

Sakura had gone home in shame, having lost the two fights that mattered the most. 

The first, for Sasuke’s affections. The way he looked at her even though all she wanted to do was help him. Love him. He hated her, she could feel it. It was in the way he spoke to her that day they had their team assignments. The first day he ever really spoke to her. Looked at her. And it was to say she was awful. It broke her heart, but she was stubborn. She would persevere and he would one day realize how perfect she was. Then that scene in the forest of death happened, and she had felt it in her very soul. He would never look at her like he did that girl. His looks for her were either empty or filled with malice. She didn’t want to believe it, but he really didn’t care. He would never love her. 

And the realization of that nearly killed her.

The second fight had been against Ino. At first, she was still so raw about her revelations that she thought she was fighting for him. It was automatic really. Every time she fought with the blonde, it was always over him. She had thrown away their friendship for him, for a chance at earning his love. And they both failed. Ino accepted defeat gracefully, as she always did everything. Ino was the embodiment of everything she had wanted to be. Strong, confident, graceful, beautiful. The same qualities that had drawn her to Sasuke but magnified. And she gave it all up, for what? Their fight for love turned into a fight for friendship. Ino pushed her away from the rejection and into her own space. Their real issue. 

And if either of them had won that fight, had actually tried to hurt the other, their bond would have been lost forever.

Following the second stage, everyone who was moving on to the third round was off training with their sensei’s. And since Shikamaru was one of them, it gave her, Ino and Choji plenty of free time. She made the daily ritual of visiting Ino at the flower shop, breathing in the floral scent and pretending not to enjoy the other girl’s company as much as she did, even as they walked together to the hospital to visit Lee. After, she and Ino would grab lunch or a quick spar with Choji, Kiba, and sometimes Shikamaru when he managed to escape.

Then she was on her own again. All her friends came from clan families. They had roles within their clans to keep them busy, make them stronger, while she had none of that. So she found refuge in the shinobi library. And, giving herself a goal, she spent her afternoons and nights buried under a pile of books and scrolls in search of a way to help Lee.

Which is where that girl found her.

Her first instinct was fight or flight. She had seen first-hand how easily killing had come to the dual-haired female. And yet this was still the girl who had stolen Sasuke from her, and she wanted to hurt her back. But as she sat frozen, her thoughts cleared and she started focusing on the words coming out of the girls mouth.

“…and I’m sorry for scaring you and your family. I was upset you had judged us without even really knowing us, and that condemnation of our collective characters was enough to incite my temper, but I want you to know that we would never really hurt any of you, and-”

“What happened in the forest?”

The question stopped the girl mid-sentence. Sakura noticed with a critical eye that she was filthy, covered in dried mud and leaves with several dozen small punctures in her clothing. The Senju girl sighed and sat down next to her, placing the books she had hooked in her arm on the table and tiredly rubbing her face.

“That…that is a long story. And one I’m not comfortable or able to discuss with you yet.”

Sakura offered her best glare and received a chuckle for her efforts. “Fine, but you need to tell me something at least.”

“Actually I don’t. You aren’t a member of my team and it’s kinda classified information so…how about this. You look like you haven’t eaten a decent meal in your entire life, no offense, so how about you come with me, eat some real food, and I’ll tell you what I can. After that you can decide whether or not you want to become friends, ok?”

The pinkette froze. “Fr-friends? You want to be friends?” she practically screeched. “But…I…”

Once again the red eyed girl chuckled, and Sakura wasn’t completely opposed to the sound. “Of course! I figured since my pink-chalk homage idea didn’t work, a decent meal and conversation may do the trick! Ichiraku Ramen seems to have a certain magic ability to get the job done, so how about we give it a try?”

She dumbly nodded, and the two gathered their reading material and checked out, heading over to the ramen stand for a meal that would change Sakura’s whole perspective on basically everything.

She was a smart girl. She received top marks in her class and was highly praised for her intelligence, even if she experienced constant discrimination and was subject to lower expectations for being born to a civilian family. So reading between the lines as Kira spoke to her about herself, her teammates, and the attack in the forest, Sakura realized there was much more to everything then she wanted to believe.

Being a ninja meant dealing with death. Killing and avoiding being killed. It was their the job. Catching feral cats and babysitting feral children was playtime. In the real world, being a ninja meant that they were basically killers for hire. If you killed the wrong person or refused or failed to kill your target you were in trouble. Being a ninja was not a game, and Team 7 had just learned that a lot earlier then her own team, and she assumed the others as well.

All except the sand team. They seemed to know already. No wonder everyone in that first room with the written exam seemed to hate them. They were a bunch of naïve idiots, and had stupidly looked down on the members of team 7 for not fitting into their happy silly idea of how ninjas should be.

Team 10 hadn’t run into assassins on their C-rank, let alone had S-class criminals chasing after them. They all had parents, support systems, friends. And the expectations weren’t as high, even if her own teammates were from respected clans, they weren’t from top tier ones, let alone the last of their kinds.

At first she felt pity, but the other girl was quick to wipe it off her face. No one deserved to be pitied except an enemy you cannot save. Who even said those kind of things? Then she asked how Sakura would like it if she pitied her, for being a civilian and failing to advance. For her blatant weakness, lack of shinobi skill and ability. It sparked anger within her, which, for the third time that evening, elicited a laugh from the other girl. 

“Exactly. That is all pity has to offer someone. Resentment.”

She blinked back her tears, her third bowl (third!) of ramen nearly empty as her grip loosened on her chopsticks in shock. A warm hand gently took them from her and placed them down, and Sakura let herself be held, if only for a few moments. It had been so long since someone offered her a genuine hug, she almost forgot how nice it was. How real. 

Everything about her had been fabricated to fit a mold. Her hair, her dress, her attitude, way of speaking, hell, even her sense of humor had been carefully crafted to attract the attention of one boy. She didn’t even know herself anymore. 

She needed to find herself again.

The Senju girl walked her home, even stopping at a dango stand she apparently frequented and introducing Sakura to the old man Tenji as her friend, which made Sakura’s stomach flutter. She took the strawberry flavored dango and ate with a faint blush on her face, emerald eyes never straying far from the girl beside her.

She was like Ino. Strong, confident, graceful and beautiful. That’s what Sakura wanted to be. Like them, but herself. 

“Ano, Senju-san-”

“Kira is fine, seriously.” she spoke with a pained expression that made Sakura giggle. 

“Ok, Kira-san-”

“Sakura-”

“Kira-chan~ then,” she laughed and the other girl sighed, smiling slightly and nodding. “I was wondering if you could, well, I know you’re busy training and all but, well, I don’t want to fall behind and, everyone has someone to teach them and I’m not…” Sakura struggled to find the words, the shy girl from her pre-academy days surfacing and rendering her voiceless.

They stopped walking, arms full of reading material and sweets. They had arrived at Sakura’s staircase to her apartment, and a few people still wandered the streets. A few had stopped and gave low bows to Kira, who returned them with tight smiles and small bows, a small tick forming on her forehead every time someone addressed her as _san_ or _sama_. It would have been funny if Sakura hadn’t been so nervous standing beside her, mulling her request around in her head and debating on whether or not she should go through with it, if she even had no right to after what she did. But Kira gave her no indication of holding a grudge, her offer of friendship as genuine as her hug.

“Oh I see.” She scrunched her face and Sakura shifted her feet nervously. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t mind but I also won’t have a lot of time like you said, it’ll mainly be me showing you some things around this time of night perhaps a few days a week, and you working on your own the rest of the time, if you can handle-”

“YES!!” she practically jumped and Kira looked at her, wide eyed and wide smiled. “Um, I mean, yes, that would be fine! Please!”

“Yosh! Let’s do it then! But only if I get to call you Cherry, hold the darling.” She said seriously.

Sakura blushed and nodded vehemently. “Ha-hai!”

“Great! Now here, take these books and memorize them. There’s some practical exercises in there for you to try out. Meet me at the library in three days, and we’ll go from there.” She dumped all the books she had onto Sakura before giving her a chaste hug and leaving with one last peace sign and smile. It wasn’t until Sakura was back in her room with everything spread out on her bed that she figured out that Kira had been planning on giving her them to read all along. 

The realization made her smile.

 

 

Two weeks into their training Kakashi received another status report on his pups. Naruto-chan, as predicted, was giving Jiraya-sama a hard time, but exceeding expectations. The hokage had originally assigned Ebisu to him, as he was well-equipped in training hokage-legacies and would be able to keep an eye on the boy within the village. Being with Jiraya meant Naruto would be training just outside the village, much to the council’s chagrin but overall the best possible option.

Especially with Orochimaru out there somewhere.

His blonde student, like his others, required constant stimulation. They needed to be building all the time. Jiraya’s perversions would not go over well if he didn’t have the jinchuuriki working on something in the meantime, and Naru-chan was not afraid to voice his opinion on anything. The neglect would hurt worse if he knew the man was his godfather, and as much as Kakashi wanted to tell the boy the truth about his father, it was not his place and he was not allowed. The Third’s orders that restricted him from interacting with the boy when he was younger and revealing the secret of his father’s identity stood, even if he was allowed the small leniency of revealing Kushina.

That isn’t to say the boy wasn’t allowed to figure it out on his own, which, knowing the surprisingly studious blonde wouldn’t be long if he hadn’t known already. The change in the boy was subtle, in the way he acted around others as opposed to how he carried himself when alone with their team. His optimism remained, steadfast in its roots. Uzumaki Naruto would always be a kind, giving and forgiving person. But he only pretended to be a fool now. His father’s intelligence showing in his eyes, blue eyes that have seen too much and understood more. 

When the time came, he knew Naruto would do his job. Being a ninja meant more than the academy could teach them. That was the reason for their final tests, to see how they would deal with life or death situations. Why C-ranks were awarded only after a certain level of maturity and understanding were reached. Naruto had understood this, but unlike himself and Sasuke, he would end up more like Guy. An excellent ninja, with a bright aura and strength, ability to lead and crush armies, but unfit for the shadows. Where some ninja were able to smile freely, despite the ugliness their jobs sometimes required of them, others remained neutral. Accepting it for what it was. 

It was those who became negative that they had to worry about. Those that embraced the darkness too willingly. Which was what worried him most about his female student.

Kira-kun was having more difficulty with her training than the others. The hokage had picked someone Kakashi actually knew nothing about, which made him uncomfortable enough to question his lord’s decision. However, he was assured that the man was more than qualified and one of the very few the hokage trusted with absolute impunity. It should have been enough to set the silver-haired jonin’s mind at ease, but unlike Jiraya, who he knew was his sensei’s master, not to mention the greatest author and living legend, and could be trusted with the safety of his wildest pup, the unknown entity was exactly that. Unknown.

Which was why he summoned a few of his nin-kin and had them keep an eye on things, and the reports were both surprising and a bit infuriating. 

The man, Kaito, apparently, was merciless with his youngest pup. His training was harsh enough to put Root to shame, and all within a strict 16-hour period, 7-days a week, as opposed to Jiraya’s more lax approach, and his own constant-learning and strength building system he had in place for Sasuke-chan, who himself was thriving. And while Kaito’s routine and exercises were to Kakashi, a bit much, it was the way he spoke to her that pissed him off. The words his nin-kin Pakkun relayed were enough that Kakashi found himself wanting to smash the man’s head in if it weren’t for her positive response to the man’s unorthodox methods. 

She was progressing, quite aggressively so. And not only that, she had also apparently made a few friends in her scarce free time. It seemed her time alone in the village, without her male teammates constantly flanking her, had enabled her to reach out to others in their age group. The most surprising of which being Haruno Sakura, followed closely by the Yamanaka girl, the supposed pink-haired girl’s rival according to their match in the second half. 

Not that he paid attention to such dramatic scenes. It’s not like he enjoyed reading, romance or star-crossed lovers or anything of that nature.

He would have shared the news with his most volatile pup, but it would have been counter-productive. Sasuke-chan’s focus had to be on the tasks at hand. He would not let the boy face his challenges unprepared. Strategy was key.

Goals and power were nothing without a solid plan. And a back-up. And a second back-up. Thirds were good too, but four was planning for failure.

Keeping Sasuke’s rage in check was his main goal. He knew he had already succeeded in pulling him away from the darkness when they first showed up for their exams. He could tell his kawaii little monsters finally sorted themselves out. The Uchiha freely embracing his friendship with Naruto-chan and entering a romantic relationship with Kira-kun showed that he was willing to put down roots in the village. That he had more than just vengeance on his mind, and that he was closer to being saved from the darkness.

The incident with Orochimaru was derailing that. All the work they had done to make a home, a family, burned away in a single snake bite. Kakashi would kill the man based on that alone. 

No. Kakashi wasn’t just going to kill him. He was going to destroy him. 

First, he had to fix what was broken. The foundations of Sasuke-chan’s sanity came first, if not parallel. 

Hatake Kakashi had plans.

 

 

The day of the final stage of the Chuunin Exams arrived, and Orochimaru had everything in place. 

After learning that the Mizukage and her ilk would be present, he adjusted himself accordingly. Much of the surprise attack would rely heavily on reverse summoning scrolls Kabuto hid at strategic points in and outside the village, though it was much more difficult to manage with Jiraya nearby and the genin team he sent from sound to enter the exams nullified. He would arrange something to distract his former teammate to another location away from the leaf. He would have no interference when he finally reunited with their old sensei.

He spent the last month almost exclusively recruiting and training. He would destroy the leaf at all costs, destroy the current home of his future vessel and show him the true extent of the power he was offering. Every available ninja from the sand and dramatically increased population of sound would be sent to fight as if they were at war. He would take no chances with the leaf ninja, orders were to kill without mercy.

His plan was perfect.


	16. Blue Eye Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! A hundred kudos! ^-^ Thank you all so much for your support! It means everything and definitely keeps me motivated to continue, hope you all continue to enjoy this story!

He hadn’t spoken to Gaara since he slapped the seal on him and everything went nuts. It was a good thing Shikamaru was there, as he instinctively used his shadows to hold the redhead still while his chakra went thrashing about while Naruto concentrated on his urgent task. Bushier Brow Sensei showed up just as they finished and shoved them apart. Gaara’s sand wrapped around himself and the boy disappeared, leaving the four leaf ninja in the room relatively unharmed, if not a bit confused. 

He wasn’t even sure it worked until they met in the competitor’s box. Naruto sneakily inspected his handiwork. The sloppy seal that was there before was almost like a ticking time-bomb, like it was never even meant to hold together long-term. The matrix he constructed used the old one as a foundation and gave Gaara control over his biiju, meaning it could no longer take over as long as Gaara did not allow it.

And yet the ungrateful bastards first words to him weren’t ‘thank you Naruto’ or ‘you’re such an awesome ninja Naruto we should be friends’ or even ‘hey how about some thank you ramen?’. No, it was none of the instantaneous friendship-inciting phrases the blonde concocted in his head.

“Why.”

Why? Was that even a question? Why what? Why would he help him? Uh…hello? Why wouldn’t he help? Did Gaara forget that his team offered to help him when they first met? Did the biiju give him amnesia or something? He turned to look at the solemn looking boy next to him and offered his best blinding smile.

“Because, we’re the same.”

And here, Naruto was expecting just a little something. Maybe not fanfare, because that was obviously not happening with this guy. But maybe like, ‘the same how’ or ‘yes we are, wanna get ramen after this?’. Seriously, he could feel his stomach rumbling. He needed ramen soon or he might die, no joke.

Raaaaaammmeennnnnnn~

He was spaced out and drooling and almost missed his companion’s next words.

“Wait, what was that?” he asked. Yeah, definitely didn’t hear that right. Maybe-

“Your village is about to be invaded.”

WHAT? “Are you…wait…are you serious? Tell me this is like, your version of humor, because it’s kinda fucked up but it’s ok cause you’ll definitely fit in with Sasuke-teme and Kira-chan, they’re kinda messed up too and-” 

“My kage and the sound kage have formed an alliance. The attack was to begin when I unleashed Shukaku, with the goal of destroying your village.”

He was serious. This was serious. Shit. Fuck. This was bad. Who was Shukaku? Oh, context! His biiju? It had a name? Did the fox have a name? Focus Naruto. Where was Kakashi-sensei? He had to inform someone, but it had to be someone who knew him. Hokage-jiji was too far and they wouldn’t let him near him right now, plus the Sand Kage was there too. Other shinobi still distrusted and despised him, and would probably think he was trying to pull another prank. He winced internally. Yeah, that came to bite him in the ass all right. The closet pervert was out of the question, and Ero-sannin took off who knows where. Naruto started to panic, his orange jumpsuit was becoming damp with sweat and oh kami how was he gonna stop this?

Wait. “Did you say ‘was to begin’? Like, as in, it’s not happening anymore or-?” His voice was unnaturally high. He hoped it was due to puberty issues and not the fear and anxiety creeping up his spine.

“Calm yourself. There are eyes and ears around us already, you cannot let on that you know. It is still happening, but I have decided that I will no longer be participating. I will inform my team of my decision, hopefully they will follow, even if I have no right to ask it of them.” He said this so forlornly that Naruto’s heart clenched a little. Why wouldn’t his team stand by him? Naruto knew his teammates would stand by him if the situations were reversed. And weren’t Gaara’s teammates his siblings or something? Had he been alienated that much?

Naruto was speechless. That hadn’t happened very often. In fact, he always had something to say. Always. It was like, his thing. Talking was where he excelled. Well, that and stubbornness. And ramen eating. Damn it, this was not the time for ramen. Not that he thought such a thing was possible before now. 

Naruto looked down below as Kira-chan and Haku-chan were putting on their demonstration. The seconds ticked by as his mind raced. It was too late to stop anything. Even if he ran out screaming, the warning would be too late. An invasion by two villages at once meant massive scale damage. His announcement would only kick-start it. He would need all the time he could get, which wasn’t looking like much. Kira-chan and Haku-chan’s ‘flowery expedition’ was nearing its end.

When the time came, he knew he could count on his team and Haku-chan to stand their ground, but it might not be enough. Not with two villages attacking, and he didn’t see too many mist-ninja attending. This was a coordinated event between villages, and too many foreign ninja visiting even for this type of event would cause unease, so only a few representatives were able to attend, which meant they wouldn’t have a lot of help. 

And they would definitely need all the help they could get. A single ninja could turn the tide. 

“Gaara, I know you said you weren’t going to participate and I know that this is asking a lot but, will you fight on our side? Please? There are a lot of innocent people here that could be hurt and…with the two of us…we could prove that we aren’t the monsters they paint us to be. We can make a difference, together.”

The jinchuuriki beside him said nothing for what seemed like forever and a day. Below them, the battle had come to a draw, the crowd’s mixed opinion drowned out by the silence between them.

The proctor was announcing the next match, Gaara’s name was called and the boy remained motionless and silent. Sasuke-teme showed up and his heart began to race. This was it. This was happening. 

“Yes.”

 

 

The first time Naruto had seen a dead body, he was five. His fifth birthday to be exact. And after he had thrown up what little was in his stomach and cried for days. 

The drunken faceless man had assaulted him, grabbing him by his blonde hair and dragging him into alley. Naruto’s eyes wired shut as the man called him a monster child and began stomping on him. The boy laid curled in the fetal position, trying to protect himself. Trying to be invisible and crying for help he knew wouldn’t come.

Help had never come before.

The two anbu showed up out of nowhere. Naruto’s big blue eyes had opened up at the scream that wasn’t his to see one of the masked men grab the drunk and slam him into a wall. One slice across the throat and he was no more. Just an empty meat suit with nothing inside to hold him up. 

Blood splattered across the ground, mixing with Naruto’s own blood, piss and tears. He added his vomit on instinct. Half-eaten noodles and milk. The anbu carried him home to his shabby little apartment without even asking where it was. Naruto had been too busy crying, shaking, and too hurt all over to even notice, taken aback by the unusual kindness of strangers and afraid it was all just a dream.

He was deposited into his bath. Cleaned, bandaged, dressed and put to bed. The next morning a he found a grocery bag with some apples, soup and other healthy food Naruto didn’t care for, but was too hungry not to devour. It had been real. The masked shinobi had saved him. Cared for him. It was brief, but it was enough to give him hope.

It was then Naruto knew why he wanted to be a shinobi. Before it was just because he lived in a shinobi village, and it was pretty much ingrained in the people to pursue that career. Now it was because he wanted to prove he was strong. Strong enough to protect himself and others from people who wanted to hurt them. 

He dreamt of that night often. In his nightmares, he was on the ground and help never came. In his good dreams, he was the one who did the saving. 

 

 

The second time it happened he was eight. It was just after the massacre, and the entire village was tense. Frightened. It was then that Naruto learned that fear made people do stupid things. Fear turned people into monsters.

The group that got him this time weren’t playing around. They tied him up after he fought back which only made them even more mad and in their heads, justified. They thought that killing him would protect the village. Get rid of the monster, become heroes. That was their plan. Couldn’t they see? Naruto was a boy, not a monster.

They were the monsters.

When they carried him into the woods he began to feel afraid. No one would look for him out there, not that anyone would look for him anyway. No one cared about him, but he told himself that was fine. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of crying or begging for help. 

So when one came close enough he bit them. His hands and feet were bound but he was not helpless. Strong jaws clamped down on the man’s throat while the others punched and kicked and pulled, trying to detach him even as the bastard screamed.

The man’s screams were music. Inside, Naruto was laughing hysterically. Now who was crying for help? He tightened his saw stubbornly and felt the blood drip down his throat. He wouldn’t die without a fight. Wouldn’t go without bringing at least one of them with him.

They punished him for that, but it was worth it. Each bruise and cut would be a badge of honor he would wear proudly into the afterlife. It was worth it to see the one he bit bleeding across from him and glaring at him with contempt. Even more so when an anbu showed up again, once again out of nowhere but only one this time. 

The masked man’s fury was palpable.

Naruto didn’t throw up this time. And he didn’t cry. The bodies of the four men littered the forest floor, soaking the earth in their blood and their fluids. The anbu scooped him up and Naruto clung to his chest, whispering thanks and holding onto consciousness with everything he had, ignoring the iron taste of another’s blood in his mouth. He didn’t cry. Not until after he was carried home, bathed and healed and put to bed. Safe in his home, alone, he cried from relief. 

Once he became a shinobi, he knew it would be him that held the blade. He would claim lives in order to save others. And that was fine. His hero, the Yondaime, had been a hero of war. Every shinobi killed in order to protect. And he was ok with that, as long as the ones he killed weren’t innocents or children. Only monsters did things like that. He would be known as a great shinobi, not a monster. 

And then, maybe one day, they could protect without having to take the lives of others.

Maybe one day he could save the monsters from themselves.

 

 

The invasion proved his resolve. He could see it in the other rookies eyes, they weren’t prepared for this. The blood and shock on their faces let him know that they weren’t really expecting to have to kill anyone. He bore witness to the deaths of the children they were and the births of the shinobi they would become with a mixture of sick satisfaction and sadness.

Now they understood.

As he fought side by side with Sasuke he felt alive. The synergy between them was perfect. Sasuke understood him without words. Understood what they needed to do in order to protect their home without it having to be a moral dilemma. When his black-haired friend took charge the only reason he hesitated was because he didn’t want to leave his side. 

But Sasuke wasn’t weak, and he trusted him.

Fighting with Gaara was different. Their connection was filtered through their chakra as it clashed and mingled. The power the two of them wielded was enough to send the oncoming enemies running in fear. The giant snake Kabuto rode could sense its impending death just by being in their presence but fought them with unyielding defiance. Together the two jinchuuriki unleashed their might and granted the thing a death worthy of its power, Kabuto narrowly escaping himself, much to their disappointment.

He had seen and killed more enemies that afternoon then he ever thought possible. And yet, it was nothing compared to seeing the Sandaime. 

It was like he was five all over again. 

He had thrown up and cried like a child. Empty. That’s all he felt. Emptiness.

Days later, he stood at the funeral with Konohamaru clinging to him and Sasuke-teme by his side, though his mind and body were still numb. He wasn’t really there. He was nowhere.

Hokage-jiji had been there for him when no one else was. Had visited him in his home long before his teammates. Had sat and eaten roasted fish with him. Had looked out for him, had tried to be his friend. Had accepted him.

He was angry at the man for leaving them. For not telling him who is father was and keeping who knows how many more secrets. For dying when he was supposed to stay hokage until Naruto could challenge him and win the title for himself. 

Saratobi Hiruzen had died for his village. Namikaze Minato had died for his village. The First and Second did as well. If Uzumaki Naruto was going to be hokage, he would probably die for this place too.

Looking down at Konohamaru and feeling the silent comfort of his best friend's presence by his side, he knew it would be worth it.

 

 

It had taken a week for his sister to come to. She had been found near the hokage’s body, lifeless herself. No one knew or could tell them how she got in past the barrier, or where she had even come from. One second it was just the snake-bastard, Hokage-jiji, and his summons, all alive. The next, the hokage was dead, the monkey-man gone, the snake ran away, and she was there, buried under the rubble.

He was surprised when Sakura-chan and Ino-chan came to visit every day. Even more surprised when they didn’t fawn all over Sasuke-teme as much, who seemed annoyed by their presence as much as he was secretly annoyed by Kira-chan not waking up. 

And when she did wake up, she refused to speak. Not a single word, no matter who tried. The med-nin examined her and asked her questions, which she responded with nods and shakes of her head. Then the strange Anbu with the Shinigami mask came in and asked them to leave so he could question her. Kakashi-sensei’s dislike of the man was evident enough for them to pick up on, so when he refused, so did Sasuke-teme and himself. It didn’t matter that they had seen this man before during the invasion, if Kakashi-sensei distrusted him it was for a reason.

“We are family. We aren’t going anywhere unless it is to take her home.” Their sensei growled.

Sasuke, who had reverted back to his distant and silent-asshole self, nodded in agreement. Naruto, who had owed his life to anbu, not necessarily this one but still, was conflicted. He didn’t want to leave, but he felt compelled to obey. His hands clenched the fabric of his thighs in frustration.

“You took your time.” Her voice was low, emotionless. It broke the tension and strengthened it at the same time. No one moved. Her eyes, which had been almost dead and focused solely on the window that looked out over the village had turned to the newcomer. 

He walked over and stood on her free side. Naruto had been sitting at the end of the bed, Sasuke to his left in a chair by the window. Kakashi was on Sasuke’s other side, closest to her head where he had been reading silently. The man was tall, built with arms exposed. The three males tensed as he drew closer. 

“Says the girl who took a week-long nap. Thought I was going to have to electrocute you again if you didn’t wake up.”

“Hn. That would have been fun.” She turned to Kakashi-sensei who looked like he was about to burst. “Onegai, I’m hungry. Could you guys get me something that doesn’t smell like disinfectant?” She tapped her fingers lightly giving the safety signal. Naruto watched as the silver-haired ninja’s shoulders relaxed marginally. He hummed in agreement as he stood up and leant down to plant a masked kiss on her forehead and shot a warning glare at the other man before calling for him and Sasuke to follow him out of the window. 

Naruto threw one last look back before he leapt out, seeing the man take a seat on the bed beside her and removing his mask.

 

 

They arrived at Ichiraku’s on autopilot. Kakashi-sensei ordered their food for there and another order to go once they were finished. Sasuke’s face betrayed his displeasure in the decision but acquiesced. Naruto hurriedly ate his food as usual and half-way through a bird arrived dropping off a summons to Kakashi. He paid for their food and excused himself, after which the boys exchanged a look, silently communicating in their usual way and agreeing to leave. By the time they made it back the man was gone.

She accepted the food with thanks and smiled softly. Sadly. Something was wrong, like her light had gone out. Any friendly banter or commentary that followed had been empty. Just like him. Like all of them. Empty.

How did they all get here? They had found something within one another, had found happiness, but it was temporary. It had died along with the hokage and whatever innocence was left in their fellow genin. Naruto felt his chest tighten. What was happening to them?

Sensing his discomfort, Sasuke gave him a small look. Naruto opened his mouth to speak when of course the Ero-Sannin had to pop in through the window.

“Hiya kids!” He appeared in a dramatic puff of smoke and pose. Thankfully there was no litany of names and titles this time.

“Damnit Ero-Sannin! What are you doing here?” Naruto resisted the urge to jump up and throttle the man, snapping his book shut. He should have been there during the invasion. He could have helped save Hokage-jiji instead of running off to who knows where doing his stupid research or whatever. He glared at the older man, directing all his current anger and frustrations towards him.

“Woah! Is that anyway to greet your beloved sensei?! And what did I tell you about that name!? It’s undignified!” The old man huffed and crossed his arms. Sasuke remained impassive, though not returning his attention to the scroll he had in his hands. 

Ero-sannin looked around obliviously and shrugged. “Anyway, I’m here to take you and the girl out on a mission! Sounds like fun right?”

“Really? A mission? What kind? What are we doing? Where are we going? Can the Teme come too?” Naruto rapidly fired his questions in quick succession. Sasuke tensed a bit and narrowed his eyes but the blonde was too excited. This was a chance to-

“Calm down kid! We gotta go find the next hokage,” he turned to Kira-chan and smiled jovially. “Your cousin Tsunade has been chosen to be the Godaime!”


	17. Destination Unknown

Out of all the possible reactions, her hysterical laughter was probably the most disturbing choice, though from what they’ve heard about the Sannin woman, probably appropriate.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto to see what his take on the situation was, and the dobe was essentially in the same mind set. The blonde looked back and forth between the old pervert and Kira in comic disbelief several times before breaking down in giggles himself. 

It took all his self-control, years’ worth of Uchiha brooding and conditioning, to not join in. Really? The woman had abandoned her village, gambled and drank away all her money and then some, had been a neglectful guardian, and let her partially unstable, amnesiac, underage cousin go off to alone and become a shinobi, which was definitely a glamorous and hazard-free lifestyle.

Even the sarcastic voice in his head couldn’t believe it.

“They….they want her to…become hokage?” Naruto choked out between his laughter. “What…is the pay that good?”

“Or they’re just that desperate! Can you even imagine?” Kira laughed. Kami, he missed the sound of their laughter. Resist Sasuke, resist. 

“First there will be a Sake Tax on all missions-!”

“A casino in the hokage tower!”

“I could win the hokage title in a bet!”

“If she doesn’t owe someone the entire village as back-payment first!”

“We’re all doomed.” Sasuke replied dryly, finally allowing the smallest of smiles to grace his features. Kira looked at him and giggled as she nodded. His chest bloomed.

“Hey! You kids show some respect!” Jiraya chastised but it only made them all laugh harder, Sasuke unable to resist joining in when Naruto fell on the floor in his fit of giggles, hitting his head and still rolling around with laughter. Naruto always broke his barriers while effortlessly being himself. It was nice to feel together again with them, united in something other than fighting. When he was with them he was home.

“This village has a terrible fucking sense of humor!” Kira said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Hn. One bad joke after another.” It was true. Their lives alone could make up an entire series of comedic-tragedies. Humor for the morbidly-insane.

“Hahaha! You said it Teme!”

“Tsunade Senju is one of the three legendary shinobi! Everyone has their vices you know! You all shouldn’t be so quick to judge her! She’s been through a lot.” Jiraya was visibly upset, his serious tone killing the light mood that had finally permeated the previously dismal room. Sasuke stiffened and rounded on the man.

“Hn. Plenty of people have suffered loss here, this is a ninja village.” He ignored the sarcastic voice in his head calling him a hypocrite. 

“Yeah Pervy Sage, that’s no excuse to abandon your village or your family.” His heart clenched.

“Why the fuck would she even come here to be hokage if she refused to come here with me months ago?” Shit. 

The Toad Sage didn’t have an answer and tried to deflect by stating he wasn’t fond of having to ‘babysit two brats let alone three’ but Kira and Naruto graciously reminded him that they all lived on their own and were more than likely to end up having to take care of him if he was anything like his former female teammate, and either way she wouldn’t be going. Sasuke couldn’t help but agree and Naruto stubbornly aligned himself with the team. The chorus of ‘thanks but no thanks’ caused Jiraya to leave in a huff and return with Kakashi, who told them that Naruto at least needed to go, Sasuke had to stay, and Kira could stay if she wanted. 

Sasuke hid his amusement while Naruto grumbled and pouted. “You guys owe me for taking one for the team!”

“Yeah yeah, if you manage to bring her back here of her own free will I’ll be amazed.”

“Hn. We better enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts then.”

“What do you mean? Is she loud or something?”

“Not her dobe.”

“…”

“HEY!”

 

Shortly after the two left, Kakashi mentioned collecting a debt himself from Asuma and Kurenai and vanished. Deciding to use the opportunity while he still had it, Sasuke invited Kira out for a date/spar. She hesitated, but accepted and the two went out to find an unoccupied training ground.

It didn’t take long for the intense sparring to stop and the kissing to start. Hard kicks and punches turned into soft pecks delivered to lips, cheeks, chins, noses and foreheads. Her scent overwhelming him along with the reminders that they had been apart for over a month, the experience of battle and death, her disappearance in the invasion, and the inevitable. 

So much had changed, but this, the feeling he had when he was with her, that was the same. That, and the need to keep her safe was stronger. It was something that he had felt since he was a child and she was taken from him. Now the woman who took her away would be coming back, he was afraid that she would try and keep them apart. Not that she could, or that it mattered in the long run, but the thought alone ignited his possessive fire within. 

He planted his lips on hers and his grip on her waist increased in intensity. She sighed lightly and kissed back with equal fervor, hands wound tightly on his neck and in his hair. As they held on to one another he held the strange desire to meld with her completely. As if he could absorb her and keep her with him forever in contentment.

He briefly recalled a similar feeling when he was fighting alongside Naruto during the invasion. As if he and Naruto were already one, functioning as a single cohesive being split into two. 

Naruto and Kira were a part of him. When they were with him he was whole. Separated he was lost. Lost like he was in the battlefield. Lost in the dark without their light and gravity. A part of him feared if he strayed to far he'd fall completely out of orbit. 

But he had to protect them. Had to protect her. Had to protect Naruto. Right now he was weak. Orochimaru's attacks proved as much. He had to get stronger. The reminder of what needed to be done made his heart clench even tighter, but her current presence was keeping him grounded in the moment.

Don’t think about it right now. Don’t-

She broke away suddenly and gasped. Her brow furrowed and her head whipped around towards the village.

“Sasuke!”

“What?” His breath was a bit labored as he tried to focus and hide his irritation at being stopped. 

“I felt…there’s something wrong…I think…Baka-sensei…” she had her eyes closed and pressed a palm to the ground. “We need to go.”

Her tone sparked worry and he quickly pulled her up, not letting go of her hand as she led the way to the hospital. They entered a room full of jonin and saw Kakashi on the bed. She gasped and ran over to him, hands aglow with white chakra.

“What happened to him?!” Sasuke shouted. This wasn’t right. Kakashi’s chakra signature was incredibly weak. Kira was taking out a RC scroll and instructing the female jonin on how to administer it while she worked.

“Oh! Nothing to worry about-” Guy began when another shinobi burst into the room.

“Hey! Is it true Uchiha Itachi is here looking for Naruto?!”

Guy slapped his head and Kira turned to lock widened red eyes with his own also fully blown. Sasuke’s heart beat erratically in his chest. No. Not Naruto. 

Without another thought he turned and ran. Kira flickered to his side. “This way!” She shouted as she shed her weights carelessly across rooftops. Sasuke followed suit ignoring the crashes and clangs as they fell onto the dirt roads in their wake.

 

They found the inn where Naruto’s chakra was and rounded the corner to find the blonde surrounded by his asshole brother and another man wearing the same black cloak with red clouds as Itachi and carrying a large sword.

“Long time, Sasuke.”

Sasuke said nothing, the rage burning within his chest as memories of that night flooded him and he held back the cursed chakra that was clawing for release. The brother he loved, adored. The brother who slaughtered his parents, his clan. The brother who left him alive, left him alone, left him to grow with nothing but hatred in his heart and the single-minded task of vengeance. 

The brother he was sworn to kill.

Sharingan met sharingan. Sasuke’s three tomoe mirroring Itachi’s own.

“Who’s the kid, Itachi?” The other man spoke.

Itachi was still. “My brother.”

Naruto scoffed. “You’re no brother to him you bastard!” The blonde shouted and clenched his fists, ready to attack.

“Don’t interfere Naruto!” Kira’s command drew the attention of the other three. Sasuke felt the madness creeping within him, a calm rising tidal wave that erupted in a roar.

“I WILL KILL YOU!!” 

He ran at the older Uchiha, dragging his chidori along the wall with a deafening crackle. He was just about to make contact when his arm was grabbed and he was stopped.  
“SHIT!” he heard Naruto shout and felt the Kyuubi chakra rising and yet he still could not take his eyes off his brother. 

“You’re in the way.” Was all Itachi said before snapping his wrist. Sasuke yelled out in pain and he felt a wave of suppressed Ki behind him erupt that he mildly registered belonged to Kira. Whatever Naruto tried to do was stopped by his brother’s partner.

The pain dulled his senses. He felt shifts in chakra around him and the arrival of Jiraya. Kira was still behind somewhere, her chakra vibrating. In the back of his mind, he was thankful for her holding back. This was his fight, after all. He was also unbelievably thankful for Naruto, who never listened anyway.

He found his strength. In her faith and Naruto’s stubbornness. In their loyalty. He stood shakily. “The only one who’s gonna do any killing…” he glared at his brother’s back. “…is me!”

Itachi tsk’d. “Go away. I have no interest in you!!” before Sasuke could respond he was kicked hard in the stomach and sent flying back towards the way he came. He heard Naruto shout his name and felt Kira catch him, cushioning his crash into the wall and passing out from the impact to her head. He cautiously pushed away from her limp form and looked from her to his brother, curse mark pulsating.

“Naruto!” The blonde stopped mid-attack. “This is my fight damnit!” He placed his good hand on his knee and rose up. “None of you fucking interfere!” 

Itachi approached him slowly and landed another blow in his stomach followed by several more. He felt himself being lifted up by the throat and looked straight into his brother’s Mangekyo. 

**“You are weak.”**

Images of his parent’s death. Itachi’s blade cutting across them. The splash of their blood on the floor.

Promised to be repeated over and over and over again. 24 hours on a loop. 

A whisper, far away. **“You don’t have enough hate.”**

 

 

Kira awoke to a weird feeling. She was surrounded by warmth. Disgusting, smelly warmth. 

She opened her eyes, her vision was blurry and she could hear distant shouting. Jiraya’s jutsu. A toad mouth. No escape. 

But then she felt it. Itachi’s chakra, and the other. They were getting away. No. No fucking way. 

She summoned her strength and removed herself from the wall enveloping her and ran after them, ignoring the shouts of her name as she raced towards the chakra signatures. Her head was throbbing, the blood dripping down the back of her head making her dizzy. 

She caught up to them and they gave pause as she shouted. “Oi! Fuck-faces! Where the hell do you think you’re going?!”

The man who resembled a shark with the large sword chuckled. “Hey yourself girly, what kinda language is that for a young lady, huh?”

“Princess Akirama Senju.” Itachi addressed her coldly, though she could practically feel his fatigue. “You have grown since we last met.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Hai, I’ll have to take your word on that. Unfortunately though, I’m going to have to kill you now.”

“Woah! The Last Senju girl huh? You never told me you knew her too, Itachi-kun.” 

“I don’t know him, and he doesn’t know me.” She corrected, focusing on the other man now. 

“The girl is no threat, Kisame. Let’s go before more come.” 

She gathered her chakra and her eyes slid into blackness. “Sasuke will be angry with me, but now that I know you are after Naruto, I cannot let you go free. I will try to limit your maiming so that Sasuke may have the killing stroke, but your friend’s life is mine.”

The shark man, or Kisame apparently, laughed again. “Is that so girl?” He unsheathed his sword and raised it to her. “I’ll take this one since you’ve been hogging all the fun this trip. Sound good?”

Itachi said nothing but stared at her blankly. She smiled, maintaining eye contact with Kisame, and raised her hand as if motioning for him to rise. Kisame made a move towards her but she closed her fist in a flash and he collapsed on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. Blood dripped from her fist and Itachi’s eyes widened. 

“I am a threat to anyone and everyone who threatens my precious people or my village. Your existence and actions threaten Sasuke and Naruto. Therefore, your lives are now mine to claim.” She clenched her fist tighter and her smile broadened as Kisame’s cries got louder. The images of his sins in his mind echoed in hers, the satisfaction intoxicating her.

Jiraya’s chakra was rapidly approaching. Raising her other palm, she reached out to lace Itachi’s soul and claim him next, but before she could his eye’s changed, and the pattern, although beautiful, distracted her briefly and sent her immediately into darkness. 

 

She awoke again, this time instead of the sickly smooth gross insides of a frog there was white hair that smelled like tobacco smoke and was a bit prickly. She was also moving. Slowly. 

Her head throbbed and her stomach felt off. She was going to throw up.

Naruto’s voice beside her was babbling like a brook about something incoherent. “Oi…put me down before I puke on you.”

The blonde yelped an “oh shit!” and the old man quickly let her down. She fell on her knees and heaved. Her head aching with every slight movement and body wracked with pain. After everything she’d ever eaten was removed she sat back, Naruto at her side offering her water and looking worried. 

“Are you ok imouto-chan?” He inquired as he pulled out a RC scroll from his bag and began administering it to her.

She noticed Jiraya quirked a brow but closed her eyes again, rinsing her mouth with some water she spat it out before drinking the second pass. “Ah. What happened? Where’s Sasuke?”

Naruto shifted beside her. “That fucker Itachi put Sasuke under some kind of super-genjutsu called a Tsukuyomi, Bushy Brow sensei showed up and took him back to the village. We thought he did the same to you but it turns out he just knocked you out so he and that shark guy could escape just before Pervy Sage got to you guys.”

Kira rolled her neck and felt the cricks and cracks, relieving some of the tension. Her head was starting to feel better but now her friend’s words began to sink in. “Fuckery.” She glared at the old sage. “Why the fuck didn’t you let me go back to the village with them? You knew I didn’t want to come on this stupid ass mission you old Dick.”

Jiraya huffed and glared back. “Like it or not, Tsunade is the only one who can break the effects of the Tsukuyomi. Until we find her your little boyfriend and sensei-chan are going to be stuck in pain, which is why we decided it would be faster to find her if we had a little sensor ninja with us. Or have we underestimated your abilities, princess?”

Narrowing her eyes, she took in a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm herself. Sasuke and Baka-sensei were counting on them now, she’d be useless to help back at the village. “Fine. But call me princess again and I’ll demonstrate the full extent of my abilities.”

Turning to Naruto she offered him a tired smile. “Looks like a mini family mission then, huh Naruto-nii-san~?”

He returned it with his own blindingly bright one, the stiffness in his shoulders at the two’s conversation releasing a bit. “Yeah it is!”


	18. Overgrown Brats

Travelling with Jiraya was driving her crazy and it had only been a week.

Most of the time it was fine. Spending time with Naru-chan had been enjoyable, his laughter and sunny disposition distracting her from her worries about their injured teammates back home and the impending confrontation with the woman they were searching for. They joked and teased and occasionally pranked their travelling companion, counted cows and discussed ideas for the future. Overall, she found the one-on-one time with her ‘brother’ quite enjoyable.

Jiraya, however…

She understood his skills as an information gatherer formidable, but they often put her and Naruto in uncomfortable situations, such as waiting outside of brothels and pretending not to know what was happening in the next room while they rested in bathhouses.

The creaking of bedsprings and moans of ecstasy left little to the imagination. 

The man tried to placate the vocally annoyed blonde by offering to teach him what turned out to be the rasengan, and after learning that Kakashi had already taught him, sulked and tried to teach him about the three prohibitions; money, women and booze. All of which said man was usually immersed in.

When he tried to take Naruto’s money as part of the lesson, Kira lost it and dragged the old man away for a nice chat, sending Naruto for a supply run and promising to meet up in an hour. The blonde knew the look in her eye, and after giving one last tentative glance at the sage, left them alone. She put up a privacy barrier and rounded on the man.

“Oi, listen here you wrinkly old dick!” If Kira had a boar for every time she had to lecture someone for treating her brother badly, she could feed an entire village. A small one, but a village no less.

“HEY! I’ve tolerated enough of that disrespectful mouth of yours-”

“NO.” She was tired. Her body was still weak from the Shinigami-possession during the invasion, using the power against Kisame even after she was told not to (shit, Kaito-sensei was gonna kill her for that), and the headache that had not gone away since her talk with Kaito. The confrontation with Itachi, realizing exactly how powerful he was and how far behind she and her teammates were from actually being able to take him down, had made her mind even more weary, and the impact to her head absolutely did not help for shit. There was this constant ringing going on and the bouts of dizziness made it hard for her to concentrate on finding the Ancient One’s chakra signature, which was supposed to be easier since it was stronger than Shizune’s. 

And then there was this man. She was feeling extra bitchy and frustrated and was definitely going to take it out him.

“You trained the fourth hokage, correct?” She did nothing to hide the irritation in her voice and on her face. Fucking Sannin were all a pains in the asses. Powerful shinobi? Yes. Greatest of their generation? Of course. Selfish annoying nutbags? Hell fucking yes.

He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “And the fourth trained Baka-sensei, and he is training us, which means you have NO FUCKING RIGHT to get jealous when he has actually been there for Naru-chan AS A FUCKING SENSEI instead of wasting his damn time fucking random bitches and drinking away your life while NEGLECTING YOUR STUDENT AND THE CHILD OF YOUR FORMER STUDENT.”

Jiraya’s jaw dropped and quickly closed again. The aura around him hardened and he got up, trying to intimidate her. It probably would have worked if she hadn’t spent that time with Tsunade and was too exhausted to care. “What are you talking about girl? I’ve-” 

“I’m not done! SIT DOWN.” She pushed chakra into her voice and he obeyed, visibly startled by his own bodies reaction. She sat down on the futon, feeling much too heavy, and sighed. “You are aware of how the village has treated him, I’m sure. He’s been a pariah, unwanted and shunned his whole life. Baka-sensei told me when we had our own little chat that he has watched over him from the shadows as much as he could, but that damn village and its restrictions prevented him from getting close until he was assigned our team leader. He’s been there since, trying to make up for lost time not only as a teacher but an elder brother and a friend. Naru-chan found out about his relation to the fourth a while ago, but hasn’t told anyone other than Sasu-chan and I because he doesn’t want Baka or you or the third…” she paused, tears forming in her eyes as the last images of the man replayed in her head. “…he didn’t want you all to feel guilty. He’s human, so he was hurt and angry, for a while, but he’s also so helplessly himself that he couldn’t hold it against you.”

Looking up at Jiraya she saw his features soften and his posture slump. “Passing down the rasengan isn’t some band-aid you can slap on your relationship with him. You need to fucking _try_ , Jiraya. You can’t half-ass this either. Naru-chan deserves more than that, especially from you.”

The large man cradled his head in his hands. “I _wanted_ to be there for him, I really did. But the village needed a spymaster, and no one was supposed to know who he was or what he-”

She laughed mockingly. “You’re kidding right? That secret about the kyuubi was bullshit. I heard about it on my first day in the village, and the smarter genin in our graduation class figured it out during the second stage of the chuunin exams. The rest knew by the end of the invasion. _Everyone_ knows now, and others will be after him. He needs your help to get stronger, but he also needs you to be more than just a shitty teacher.”

“It’s not as easy as you think. I’ve…I’ve got no idea how to…my past experiences…I’ve failed my student’s before, and Naruto…”

“That’s no excuse. You know about my curse right, _Spymaster_?” He looked up and nodded seriously. “When I came to the village I had no idea how to interact with anyone my age, how to make a friend properly or how normal humans interact with one another because of all the time I spent alone in the woods so Tsunade and I could avoid each other. When I first met my team it went badly. I attacked one, offended another, and scared the third. It didn’t stop me from trying, and now I’ve got two best-friends and another good friend, who helped me socialize with the other’s in our age group and learn how to properly engage other’s since apparently the guys and I are ‘weirdos’.” He chuckled at this and she smiled. 

“Naru-chan was the reason it worked out for me, for all of us. He’s got this way of just, _being_. When we went to Ichiraku’s the first time, he would NOT shut up.” Jiraya smiled knowingly and chuckled again and Kira continued. “Despite my behavior, he held out a hand and offered friendship. He did the same to Sasu-chan, who apparently had a reputation for being an epic dick.” They both laughed at that. Her heart clenched and she unconsciously moved a hand over it, grasping at the fabric. 

She forgot what she was going to say. All her thoughts to the boy lying in the hospital bed back in Konoha. Waiting. Hurting. Depending on them to make it back with two Sannin in tow. 

Tsunade wouldn’t return for her. All she could do is help find her, it would be up to Naruto and Jiraya to convince her. And if the woman refused…

“Hey kid, don’t worry, he’ll be ok.” He moved over to squat in front of her and patted her head. “I get what you’re trying to say, Naruto is a special kid, in more ways than one. And he deserves a considerable effort on my part, which I plan on committing to.” He stood and dusted off his pants. “Now, why don’t you get some rest and we’ll leave in the morning. That gorgeous cousin of yours isn’t going to find herself!” 

Satisfied, exhausted and sad, she nodded and laid down to rest, sleep claiming her body almost immediately.

 

They set out the next afternoon feeling refreshed and cheerful. Kira had slept for 18 hours straight and although the ringing was still there she had a better hold on her senses and was able to locate Tsunade’s faint signature. Naruto and Jiraya seemed to have bonded a bit better during her absence, and she was feeling quite optimistic. That feeling lasted a whole four days.

When they found her she was knee deep in the zone and had barely noticed their presence. The constant noise from the slot machines and coins spilling out from her jackpot were enough to make the veins in Kira’s forehead pop, but the added overwhelming stench (thanks again to Baka-sensei) of sake made her want to strangle the woman. She felt her own aura darken and silence fell over the casino. Jiraya and Naruto stepped back and the busty blonde, petite brunette and fat little piggy all turned simultaneously to face her, looks of dread, shock and the closest thing to surprise a pig could get on their faces, respectively.

“By the looks of it, this must be your Lucky Day,” venom was practically dripping from her voice. “wouldn’t you say, oh _Ancient One_?”

 

 

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Tsunade said, her hazel eyes rolling at Jiraya’s pout. Beside her Shizune fidgeted and glanced warily at Kira-chan, who said nothing as she continued to stare at her cousin who avoided returning the look.

Seriously, Naruto could not fathom how cold this woman was. Pervy sage explained everything. Orochimaru putting the curse mark on Teme, attacking the village and killing hokage-jiji, _her teacher!_ Itachi’s attack on Kakashi-sensei and Teme, and that she was needed to come heal them and take the mantle. She was literally the only one who could do it, _and the woman would not budge!!_

The entire trip he couldn't stop himself from incessantly talking. The tension between his sister and his sensei made him itchy. And he couldn't bear the silence. His thoughts would immediately go to his best friend and his teacher back home and the fact that they were injured and vulnerable and alone. With Kira-chan with him, there was no one to look after them. They were the only family they had. 

He set out on this mission dead set to succeed. He knew it wouldn't be easy either. The woman was supposedly stubborn and could care less about the home she left behind, the legacy of her family, or her actual family member sitting as far as possible from her. 

But Uzumaki Naruto never backed down from a challenge. His family was counting on him. All of them were counting on him. 

“Taking the hokage title is like betting on a guaranteed loss. Throwing your life away for the village...Saratobi-sensei, my grandfather, uncle, and the fourth all died in vain.” She raised her sake cup to her lips and downed it, slamming it back on the table. “Tsk. Only an idiot would do it.”

“THAT’S IT!” Naruto growled and jumped up on the table and went to attack the woman across from him but Jiraya grabbed his jacket and held him back. “HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE HOKAGES! I DON’T GIVE A SHIT WHO YOU ARE! I’LL TAKE YOU ON RIGHT NOW!”

“Hmph.” The older woman smiled. “You’ve got guts gaki, I’ll give you that. C’mon, let’s see what you’ve got then.” 

Naruto couldn’t help his feral smile as the party of six went outside. Tsunade bragged about only having to use one finger to fight a genin, which only made him want to prove her wrong even more but the voice in his head told him to think logically.

This woman was wanted to be hokage for a reason. She was on par in strength with Pervy sage and the Snake-bastard. Kira-chan had told him and Teme about her chakra control and strength. One finger could knock him into next week.

Nodding vehemently to himself, he carefully removed his jacket and placed it gently on the floor. He could see Kira-chan’s smirk from her position off to the side and his sensei’s perplexed look. A few feet away, Tsunade took a bored stance.

“Any time gaki!”

He laughed internally. The situation reminded him of the bell test with Kakashi-sensei, only this time, he was doing it alone. Kira-chan couldn't help him because if she fought the old lady things would get out of hand. After Sasuke-teme's fight with Itachi he could see just how emotional things got between family members who held animosity towards one another. The comparison made him uncomfortable, but he brushed it off. This was his challenge, his fight. He would put his money where his mouth was.

“RIGHT! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!” Naruto made fifty clones, one for each year of his opponents age, and attacked with rapid speed and rasengans. Her eyes widened and she dodged, the impacts of the blue orbs and clones being flicked away in all directions shaking the earth. A few made it close enough for her to start sweating until his real self was caught up and smashed into a crater. Getting up and shaky legs, he took a stance and prepared for another attack, his vision slightly blurry from the impact.

She stood a good way from him and wiped her brow, cheeks flushed from drink and the slight effort on her part. “Give up gaki. You’re no match for me.”

“NEVER!” This damn woman brought out the fire in him. She insulted his father, her own grandfather, Kira-chan’s grandpa, and hokage-jiji. They all died protecting the village, protecting them. To Naruto, there was nothing more noble than that. “You may not agree with their sacrifices but you have to respect them! They deserve that much, and you… _you’re not worthy of the title or their sacrifice!!_ ”

He launched himself again, fifty more clones, kunai and several jutsus before she made her way straight to him and hit his forehead again, knocking off his headband and sending him flying. His clones dispersed and he got up again, this time with noticeably more of a struggle. 

Damn sannin woman. He heard the dark grumble within him and was tempted to call upon the Kyuubi's chakra like he had during the invasion, but shook it off. No. This was _his_ fight. He would do it _his_ way.

“What’s with you and the hokage title gaki?” she asked, holding his headband in one hand and glaring at him. 

“I’m not a brat, I’m Naruto Uzumaki…” he stated, drawing shaky hands together and concentrating on gathering his chakra to prepare to make more clones. “…and one day I’m going to be the hokage!”

She froze and dropped his headband on the ground, the impossibly loud clatter distracting him. 

“Why…why would you want to follow such a foolish dream?” She blinked for a few moments before laughing cruelly. “You must be an idiot!”

“Heh, yeah, a lot of people back home would agree with you on that lady,” he wiped his nose and smiled sadly. “But that just means you’re one more person I’m going to prove wrong!” She stopped laughing and he smiled brighter. “Being hokage, it’s been my dream for as long as I can remember. I wanted to prove to the village I wasn’t useless, that I deserved their respect. I wanted to protect them even though they hated me and hurt me. It didn’t matter because hokage-jiji said that the village was a family, and what I wanted more than anything was to _have_ a family. When I became a part of Team 7, I finally found one. _A real one._ Sasuke-teme is my brother, he’s a jerk and a know-it-all and my best friend and rival. Kira-chan is my little sister, she’s crazy, scary and kind. And Kakashi-sensei is like our big-brother, he’s weird and over-protective and lazy. And Pervy sage,” he looked over to where the others were standing and made eye contact with the older man, remembering the conversation they had a few days ago and warmth flowing in his heart. “he’s my godfather, he’s a pervert of the highest caliber and an excellent shinobi, but he’d make a terrible hokage.”

He looked back over at the woman who was standing shock-still. “Hokage-jiji, he assigned our Team. He gave me a family, after all the years I asked him for one, he finally did it. _And I wouldn’t trade them for anything._ One thing about family I’ve learned is, you can’t always pick them. That means, even though you’re a terrible person, who selfishly abandoned their home and my sister when she needed you the most, _you’re family too._ And I’d die to protect you, just the same as them, just the same as everyone in our village.”

Tsunade had tears running down her cheeks and her fists were clenched tightly. Naruto took a few steps forward. “One day, I'm going to be the greatest hokage there ever was, and I’ll protect everyone with everything that I have!” he ran forward and went to swing but she stopped him with another finger to the forehead, only this time he didn’t fly back. He stilled, frozen in time as she bent down to look him in the eye.

“Okay gaki, you win.”

 

They were three days away from the village when they decided to stop at a small hot springs to rest. The adults went out for some drinks after _another_ awkward dinner and Naruto went to the room he was sharing with Kira-chan and Tonton, the sassy little pig. The three curled up on their futons and he chose to make use of the opportunity to chat now that they were alone. 

“Hey imouto-chan, you ok?”

She hummed in response but that wasn’t going to cut it. He sat up and crossed his arms, pouting and waiting for a suitable response. She breathed deeply and opened her eyes to look up at him. “I hate her Naru-chan. And she hates me. It’s as simple as that and there’s nothing to be done. I’ll still do my duty as a shinobi under her, but we don’t have to play house. There’s no reason to pretend it’s going to be otherwise.”

“I don’t understand though. Why?” he frowned and leaned forward, taking her hand that was draped over the sleeping piggy and resting his chin on his other hand.

“She hates me for the same reason Sasu-chan hates Itachi. I killed the last blood relative she had left. I hate her because she couldn’t see past her own hatred too see the truth, and it hurt. I knew nothing, knew no one, and she couldn’t even look at me. Couldn’t bring herself to help me even though I was lost. If it wasn’t for Shizune…I’m ok with it though. I have you, and Sasu, and Baka, even Kaito-sensei, kinda, and the other genin too. I don’t need her.”

“That’s not true.” She rolled her eyes but he pressed on. “I’m serious! It’s not the same as with Sasuke-teme and Itachi, you didn’t do it on purpose, she’ll see that and forgive you and you’ll forgive her and everything-”

“No Naruto. Leave it.”

“But-”

“Please.”

He frowned deeply and shook his head, laying down on the mat close to her but not letting go of her hand. He hated that his family was fractured. He would figure out a way to fix it, no matter what.

 

They were a few hours from the hot spring when they were confronted by the Snake-bastard and that creep Kabuto. Beside him, Naruto heard Kira-chan curse under her breath.

_“Fucking Sannin.”_

Naruto was inclined to agree with the sentiment.


	19. The Slug Queen's Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~a little something for reader bg3929

It was a sick offer. In exchange for healing his arms, he would bring back Tsunade’s loved ones. Undo the sacrifice their teacher had made so that the man could destroy Konoha. 

Destroy the village her grandfather built. Undo the sacrifices all the hokage and other countless shinobi had made. 

And as a bonus, if she killed the girl and he’d bring back her mother too.

Tsunade’s precious student. The little cousin she cherished above all others when everyone else had long gone.

Nawaki. Dan. Mikkirama.

Brother. Lover. Cousin.

 

 

_”Happy 12th birthday Nawaki!” A young boy with spiky brown hair and bright grey eyes stood with her at the tower, looking over the village._

_She handed him the small gift box. “Nee-chan, I’m too old for gifts!” he whined half-heartedly, but when he opened it his face lit up in surprise._

_“Grandfather’s necklace, you always wanted it, right?” His smile was so bright. So full of life._

_“It's not just a necklace! The entire village was grandfather’s gift! I’m going to protect it and one day I’ll be hokage!” Determined. Optimistic. She put the necklace on him and kissed his forehead._

_“That’s big talk otouto! You know a real man never goes back on his word right?” He nodded and grinned widely._

_“I love you sis!” He was so bright. So full of life._

_Gone._

_“You shouldn’t look at the body.” Jiraya placed a hand on her shoulder as she approached, her entire body cold. Lifeless. Like him._

_“Why not? It’s not like she can’t already tell…” Orochimaru remarked. “We’re in the middle of a war. Death is inevitable for a shinobi.”_

_Death. Inevitable._

_No medics on the battlefield._

_"Children are so easily excited, especially after they've been given a gift." Orochimaru pulled out the necklace and returned it to her._

_“I believe we need a medic-nin in each cell, it would increase survival rates and success.” She was attending a war meeting with the hokage and other shinobi._

_The hokage, her teacher, let her speak but looked grim. “We’re in the middle of a war. We don’t have the time or resources to implement-”_

_“Then when-!” She was frustrated. Passionate._

_“I agree.” He had long white hair and sea-green eyes. Kind eyes. “Too many shinobi have lost their lives already. They should not be in vain.”_

_He wanted to walk her home. He lived the other way. It was sweet. He understood her. He had lost his younger sister too._

_“I want to protect the village and become the hokage one day.” He confessed. “It’s my dream.” He was like him. The same dream._

_“Please accept this.” She kissed his forehead and placed the necklace on him._

_So much blood._

_It was everywhere. It stained him._

_“I don’t…want to…die yet.” He was fading._

_“Don’t talk now!” She was struggling. Fighting the impossible. Even she could not regrow entire organs._

_“I still…have things to do…” The blood was leaking from his mouth._

_“Don’t worry Dan, you’ll be ok!” She lied. She kept trying. Kept pushing._

_And he was gone._

_So much blood._

_“It’s time to go home, Tsunade-sensei.” The white haired woman placed an arm around her, and Tsunade pulled away._

_“Why should we go back there? That place is death for our clan.” Please. Don’t go._

_“It’s where we belong.” The woman’s red eyes bore into her own. “We can’t protect the village from those dangers we discussed from here.” No, but why should they? “Besides, it’s about time they had a female hokage, neh cousin?”_

_She laughed, and Tsunade laughed with her. “Yes, I suppose it is time.” She sighed. “Hokage huh?” Her student smiled and nodded solemnly._

_Tsunade gave one last kiss. The gift. Perhaps this time…_

_The screams woke her from her drunken slumber._

_She stumbled into the room, blood covered the walls. Mikki’s body lay on the ground, Kira’s small form over her, the kunai in her small hands, still buried in her mother’s stomach._

_The other bodies in the room seemed distant. Masked, unnamed shinobi. Assassins. Dead. Meaningless._

_“What did you do!?” The child did not see her. She just kept screaming. Eyes black. Strange, glowing seal marks covering her body. Distorting her features._

_Mikki’s eyes were lifeless._

_Gone._

_They were all gone._

 

 

Orochimaru stood across from her with his attendant, both looking smug. She could feel Shizune tense behind her. Jiraya, the brat, and the girl were off to the side. Waiting for her answer.

“Tsunade-” Jiraya warned.

“Lady Tsunade please!” Shizune begged.

“SHUT UP!” The Sannin woman’s fists clenched at her sides but she didn’t take her eyes off the snake.

She could have them all back, all she had to do was heal him and hand over the monster that killed her beloved relative. It would be easy, the girl’s chakra was weak, her body in distress despite the proud front she was putting on and Tsunade was turning a blind eye to it. The girl killed her Mikki. The cousin she spent years with. Watched her grow from a baby to a young woman. Trained her to become a powerful shinobi, capable of becoming hokage. Travelled with her for years, away from the cursed village and the chains that bound them to that place. Living without conflict. Free.

No. Not free. Nawaki and Dan and Mikki, they all haunted her. Their dreams haunted her. 

The drink drowned out the memories, but _they_ followed. No matter how far she went. They always followed.

Orochimaru wanted to destroy the village. Destroy what was left of their dreams. She hated the girl, but she couldn’t let the dreams of her precious people be destroyed. 

“Don’t listen to this creep Granny! We’re family, remember!?”

The annoying blonde brat’s voice echoed in her mind. Nawaki. Dan. Mikki. Their dreams were still alive. Alive in him, the brightness of his light practically a beacon. There was still hope. 

She steeled herself and took a strong stance, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her chin. “No.”

Her former teammate looked startled by her response, but it only lasted a moment. “No? Are you sure that is your answer, Tsunade-hime?”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. “That’s what I said. No. I won’t risk you destroying the village. I am the hokage now, and it is my duty to protect it and everyone in it, no matter who they are.”

The snake Sannin chuckled darkly. “Very well, if that is your answer then…” 

His gray haired companion took a vial and smeared blood on his arms, and several hundred snakes rose up from the ground. She jumped back and prepared to fight before she heard a familiar scream and turned to see Kira yanking a snake off her arm, its fangs imbedded deep into her flesh. In an instant the same boy was behind Kira, who whirled around sluggishly only to be quickly snatched and spirited away back to Orochimaru’s side. A glowing chakra scalpel was pressed to her throat, his sickly grin widened at the drop of blood streaming from his initial cut. A warning. 

“My assistant here has some unfinished business with your little cousin. I may choose to forbid him from killing her, but only if you heal me.” Orochimaru smiled victoriously in her direction. “Unless…you’d prefer her death? That could be arranged easily now, as you can see. Whatever it takes for you to do as I ask, Tsunade.”

Tsunade’s eyes widened in fear and she heard Naruto shouting distantly. Her eyes focused on the trail of blood dripping down the girl’s throat. The blonde’s body trembled as the horrid memories washed over her again in bone chilling waves. The girl’s defiant but tired eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped forward, lifeless.

No.

 

 

_“Tsuna-chan! Tsuna-chan!” She turned to see the seven-year-old girl running towards her, struggling to carry Tonton in her small arms._

_Tsunade smiled and bent down to scoop the two in her arms. “What is it?”_

_“Guess what I did!? Guess! Guess!” The girl was too excited to stay still, her long mismatched pig-tails that hung low like her own swaying wildly. Tonton wiggled in discomfort and jumped down, landing gracefully at their feet and trotting away. Tsunade hummed and adjusted her on her hip, walking them towards the tree where Shizune and Mikki were napping._

_“I made you this! See?” The girl held out a thin wooden band, a crude depiction of a slug carefully etched into it._

_“It’s beautiful!” She cooed and she inspected the handiwork._

_“It’s a bracelet! I made it special for you, so that even when you’re away doing grown up stuff in the kasii-no and drinking icky no-no juice you won’t forget!” She giggled at the tick forming on the older woman’s head._

_Tsunade held out her hand so the girl could slip the bracelet on her. “Thank you! And forget what, hime-chan?”_

_The little girl smiled answered immediately. “That I love you, Tsuna-chan!”_

_The blonde woman smiled warmly and hugged the girl close, kissing her forehead. “I could never forget that.” Kira buried herself in Tsunade’s embrace and the woman stroked her hair._

_“I love you too, my little Akirama.”_

_“Lady Tsunade, please!”_

_“NO! Get…get her away from me!”_

_“But she’s just a child! She doesn’t remember anything! We have to-”_

_“I SAID NO! GET THAT MONSTER AWAY FROM ME DAMNIT!”_

_The girl sobbed silently in Shizune’s arms, and the brunette woman took her away, whispering words of comfort, leaving her alone._

_Lifeless and alone._

_“I love you Tsunda-chan!”_

 

 

No. 

No. No. No. No. No.

Not again.

Never again.

Naruto screamed. “Kira-chan! Let go of my sister you bastards!!” He was about to attack, but Jiraya struggled to hold him back, his own body also a bit sluggish. He must have been bitten as well. Shizune called out to her desperately, caught between helping her and fighting. Tsunade knew that if they made a move Orochimaru would have his servant slit the girl’s throat. She could practically feel the bloodlust dripping off him.

The Slug Queen shook with rage and defeat. “Fine.”

“Hmm? What was that? I didn’t quite hear you, hime?” The snake taunted.

Glaring she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted. “I said I’ll do it you bastard! Just don’t…don’t hurt her!”

The snake laughed mockingly. "Excellent."


	20. Could You Repeat Your Answer, Please?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wish me luck. School started this week and I'm 14 units in deep and 20 chapters in this fic.

_Shizune was a small but feisty brunette. Akirama would describe her as pleasant and interesting. She had been the one to carry her away, to free her from the lead that had overtaken her body, rendering her immobile beside the corpse. Even after the other screamed for her to go, she could not obey. The brunette spoke calmly, evoked calm in return. A semblance of peace. Questions, Answers, Repeat. The brunette ran diagnostic after diagnostic. Their results were all the same._

_“Akirama is not the same.”_

_Said girl looked at both women, curious. A strange sense of familiarity fluttered in her stomach whenever she was around them, but it felt…uncomfortable. So, she pushed it down and categorized it as an unnecessary distraction. To be trained on ignoring later. Right now she had to pay attention, because apparently she was Akirama._

_“The seal was made by Mikkirama, “ Mikkirama was her mother. The woman she woke up holding, screaming. She tried hard but she couldn’t stop herself from letting out those awful sounds. The empty wretched feeling in her body, in her heart, was so agonizing it was all she could do. Even now, when she thought of that woman, the pain felt like knives. It was also, uncomfortable._

_“…it was made in her blood and carries her chakra signature. Her injuries prove that she would not have lived longer than 15 minutes, even with your help.” The brunette ended solemnly and the blonde flinched at her words. The shock of the blood damaged that one’s mind. The br-Shizune, she made sure all the blood was washed away before meeting. Some of her hair had to be cut. It wasn’t painful, so she did not mind._

_“The damage was simply, too much, for anyone.”_

_When the blonde heard these last words, she laughed hollowly. Akirama felt sick in her stomach. This woman’s tears hadn’t ceased since that moment, and now suddenly they were gone and replaced by this…laugh. It was a haunting sound. Unpleasant. Opposite of Shizune._

_“No! I would have!” She spat and turned to face Akirama dead on, her hazel orbs boring into her while she pointed her sake at her with a vicious gleam. “And she did already!” She took a swig and smirked. “It seems like we’re both cursed then…forever doomed to see all of our loved ones destroyed before us, too strong and too stubbornly unable to just fucking die. The Last Senju Witnesses.” She paused and downed more of her drink._

_“I guess that makes it okay for me to hate you then, because I’ll never be able to mourn you.” It was a whisper, but she heard it. In the deafening silence, Shizune heard it too. And the pig. Time froze. Another laugh._

_Akirama felt her blood turn to acid then turn to steel._

_This was a curse. The unpleasant feelings within her, the unpleasant thing within her, they were all a apart of it. She would need to learn to control herself, limit their power over her. Both the feelings, and the power itself. She would not suffer like this woman. She would not become this hollow shell._

_She was learning quickly. She made a plan. She did not want to be like this woman. She was going to be free of this curse. Whatever it took._

_One day she would be free._

 

If Bakashi had asked her “what would you do if [insert one of Baka-sensei’s personally-tailored-for-each-of-them-level-of-fucked-up-based-on-his-mood] genjutsu training scenario?” she’d base her first plan on the assumption that Tsunade would take the offer. No back-up required. She remembered how the woman’s dislike of her did not waver in their time together, barely veiled under false acceptance. Even after the three of them pieced it together, and there was a basis of understanding, the animosity remained.

So it was a safe bet that the woman would take up her former teammates offer, and she couldn’t blame her. After all, her mother’s death was on her hands. Intentional or not, the blood remained.

And if anyone could kill her, her bet would have been on Orochimaru. Don’t get her wrong, it wasn’t as if she really wanted to die, but at a certain point you run out of options. Or patience. Or both. Or a opportunity arises where a major creep who was powerful enough to take down the Third and walk away with his life sets his weird ass eyes on you. No arms and all. The snake bastard was powerful, you’d have to give him that at least. 

And the theory that in order to remove the Shinigami was to _meet_ the Shinigami and politely ask him to vacate the premises was always that very _very_ last theory/plan she didn’t really discuss aloud because her teammates were NOT ok with that. Promises of resurrection, torture, death, and re-resurrection from her pseudo-family of killer ninjas were enough for her to shelve the idea. 

Not get rid of it. Just, slide it over there, for a rainy day when there’s no other back up plan or the theory well has finally run dry.

Because Tsunade had once agreed with her. The only way to have some of Death’s power was to get it from the Being itself. Mikkirama summoned Death, if Akirama wanted to know why, she would have to ask It herself. The night before she split they all got drunk in the hotel room and came up with theories. Tsunade normally avoided her, but there was only one room and the rains had come to the town and the power was out. No casino, complimentary sake for the inconvenience. The problem with the theory was that Akirama was apparently hard to kill, and Shizune thought that Tsunade was bias, but this was a theoretical issue, the blonde argued. Poisons got metabolized at alarming rates and held little to no affect, wounds healed. Not that there were experiments or accidents or anything. So it would probably take a miracle for her to die anyway.

Though, miracles were known to happen, rainy days occurred slightly more often.

It just so happened to be raining snakes. 

Kira made eye contact with that asshole creep Kabuto as he took out a vial and smeared blood on his arms. She was his target. Several hundred snakes rose up from the ground and she quickly hid her chakra by half of it’s current 60-ish percent. She saw Jiraya take a snake bite meant for Naruto just as another bit her. 

She screamed as the venom literally burned her, yanking a snake off her arm harshly only to fuck up and leave its fangs imbedded deep into her flesh. Next thing, Ass-Creep was behind her. Kira turned around in what felt like slow motion and her eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t expecting the venom to be this potent. 

_Jiraya was in danger!_ Ass-Creep grabbed her and shunshined them over to The Snake Bastard’s side. She made eye contact with Naru, Jiraya, pouch, NOW. He narrowed his eyes and blinked once. _Yes._ Good. 

A glowing chakra scalpel was pressed to her throat, and her blood dripped, hot, _acidic_. Poison on top of venom? Oh, so they were really trying to kill her then? 

Good for them. 

The venom and the poison seemed to be working in concert. Her own chakra was much too low. The morons might actually have a chance. Plan Z, anyone?

She made eye contact with Tsunade, and purposely let her eyes flash black. A warning and a question.

“My assistant here has some unfinished business with your little cousin. I may choose to forbid him from killing her, but only if you heal me.” The snake fucker paused. “Unless…you’d prefer her death? That could be arranged easily now, as you can see. Whatever it takes for you to do as I ask, Tsunade.”

Well, it was now or never. This was her chance to meet Death. She knew it, Tsunade knew it. Shit, Shizune, Naru-chan and even Jiraya probably knew it. He asked too many damn questions and inferred because of her _brash_ attempt on Kisame and Itachi’s life, however _almost_ successful, she was now a likely target for The Akatsuki as well as Orochimaru, who, oh yes right, was now seconds away from performing a fucking miracle.

Wonderfuckingful.

Kira sighed in her mind. Death was looking like an inevitable option anyway. This power was…shit. Still, it was Tsunade’s call. Hurry it up already damn Godaime.

Naruto, as usual, was shouting distantly about fucking shit up. Well that was his vote, she knew it would be. But it was different this time. Tsunade could gain something from this, it wouldn’t be selfish. If it worked, they could both be free. Be happy. The acidic blood dripped further down her throat, burning her flesh. Her eyes grew weary, and she made a last moment of eye contact with her cousin, who blinked twice. Finally! Wait…twice? Her own eyes widened in response before turning black as they rolled back in her head and everything went black.

 

_No?_

_Darkness. Freezing. Her body felt stiff with frost and yet she was aware she had no body._

_A thunderous voice surrounded her. Filled her. Reverberated through her existence._

_Not yet. Soon._

_No._

 

She felt Tsunade’s chakra and for the first time it wasn’t entirely awful. 

Releasing her own chakra, she expelled Kabuto from her form by force. Orochimaru jumped back to dodge Tsunade’s fist half-a-second before it impacted the exact bit of earth he occupied oh so recently. Fighting the urge to go chase after the glasses wearing prick she took her stance by Tsunade. 

“Aki-“

“We can have a drink after you heal my family! For fuck’s sake Tsunade now isn’t the time you Ancient Bag of Bones!” Same words, same insults, different tone. The tone would have to say what they could not. Senju’s were nearly as awful with expressing “vulnerable emotions” as Uchiha’s. Her grandfather wrote about some _unsaid competition_ that the Hyuuga’s were doing well but not _too_ well, and that he was superior in that compared to his elder brother. The man was oddly competitive, and she learned all about her clan’s traits, traditions, values, and of course jutsu’s and takas from his journals. Tsunade gave them to her to try and give the girl what she could not. They may have not enjoyed one another but they were still family, and there were some obligations that were likely only fulfilled because of Shizune’s pestering. So instead of speaking, she gave her Tobirama’s legacy. A history.

A history they shared.

Either way, Tsunade understood what she meant and didn’t immediately punch her across the country, which was great. For a few moments. Then those snake lovers were attacking again. 

“Kira-chan! Baa-chan!” Naruto’s voice broke through the surrealism of the moment as she once again fought the Ass-Creep. She was too slow, and growing slower still. Her chakra was reduced to thin strings that were barely hanging on by a thread. She had maybe one or two justu she could use, and there was always _that_. But Kaito-sensei already warned her and…

“Shizune!”

The blonde was yelling for the brunette but the snake was faster. He appeared in a flash, kicking Tsunade in the stomach and sending her flying. She got up and faced him again and he delivered several more blows before coughing out a sword and skewering her. Shizune held Naruto back while frantically trying to heal Jiraya. Kabuto grabbed Kira in her own moment of distraction and held her up by the chin, dragging the chakra scalpel from her cheek down to her jaw and sneering at her.

The blood flowed freely, warm like lava. She heard and smelt burning flesh and clothing. All of her remaining chakra was focused on healing her. Her body reacting to the poison on its own. Fighting against her will. She wanted to attack, not defend. This bastard had to die. But as usual she was being made to live.

Kami the things she was planning on doing to him one day. A least that would be worth it. Her hazy mind wandered to lovely thoughts.

“How are you still alive?” Orochimaru leaned over her, his question asked with more curiosity than anger. He ripped the collar of her shirt that was being eaten away by the acidic blood, exposing her neck. “And where is your seal, child?” he hissed, angry now. She wanted to giggle. Gone! Her mind shouted, but she still couldn't move.

“Get away from her! You bastard” Naru-chan yelled and launched himself towards Kabuto, summoning a small army of clones. She fell to the ground and watched numbly as the two fought, Ass-Creep utilizing his evil little scalpels and Naru-chan raining blue orbs of death on him. 

Tsunade activated that damn diamond finally and healed herself from the stab wound she had apparently taken The woman who hated her up until 5 minutes ago, or how long was it? Time is still going slow. The two sannin were slowly fighting, like they were in the water. They exchange blows, equally matched even with the snake’s disadvantage and Tsunade’s lack of practice. Years of indulgence biting her in her ancient ass. No Kira, don't laugh.

Tsunade spoke with force of will. “I am the hokage now. I will fight you to the death to protect the village. Protect them. Because it was their dream. Because my family is counting on me.”

“Hokage, Tsunade? You of all people should know, that is a fool’s dream.” Orochimaru hissed, circling the woman. 

Kira’s heart fluttered. It hadn’t fluttered for that woman in a long time. The busty blonde stood proud, looking from Kira to Naruto, she pointed at the boy accusingly. “And because that brat is going to be hokage. So from now on, it’s my life I’m betting.”

If her heart was fluttering before, now it was blooming. Naru-chan was her soft spot and trigger point. She forced herself to get up, despite the little strength. She would fight. Ignoring the pain in her arm, face and neck that was radiating she rose to her knees. She couldn’t move the now corpse-stiff appendage or contort her face even to speak. She used her other limb, thankful for her lesson on one handed signs, and started trying to gather what was left of her chakra to attack. Pushing further, she made it to her feet and staggered a bit, bracing herself on the tilting whirling earth. Unbidden, she felt her eyes slide slowly into black when she noticed Orochimaru was elongating his neck and preparing to bite her. 

Again. 

“FUCK!!!” She screamed as the same time as Naruto. She looked over to see a hole in his opponent’s center, though the skin was already healing. Naruto’s chakra spiked in anger and he fell. Something was wrong. The seal on her stomach burned and her body lit up with white lines. The snake quickly unhinged his jaw and stepped back. Her body felt like she was burning. Tsunade was yelling at everyone to get back and the woman ran towards her brother. 

The screams now were so loud. Coming from everywhere. All at once. Overlapping and continuous. Drowning her in their pain. Tsunade shielded Naruto from the light with her body, Shizune aiding her in whatever healing they were trying to do. Jiraya’s limping figure shielded her vision, and a paper seal was placed over her eyes. 

Her eyes were closed but she had long ago trained herself to see. Though even now, her second vision was going dark as well.

The foreign voices ceased at once, leaving only the muted speeches of allies and foes. And as the blackness took over her vision she saw four giant figures emerge, the faint scent-based registration that she was on top of a giant toad again both disgusted and pleased her, Jiraya nearby with the same affect. The two snakes stood upon two giant snakes, and Naruto's passed out form was being attended to by Shizune, on top of an equally giant slug, alongside Tsunade.

The darkness closed in, and the sannin's voices faded away.

The last coherent thought she had was filled with raw anger. 

_How many times can one team of ninjas pass the fuck out before it’s a joke?_


	21. Sweet Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from outer space! 
> 
> No really, my laptop finally just, KO'd and it took me a cool minute to get a new one. I've got most of the rest of this part (pre-shippuden) written in sticky notes and such, so it should be wrapping up soon and on to second part, which I'm more than ready for! 
> 
> Anyway, onward and upward! ^-^

Once the infinite loop of torture ended, the nightmares began.

As if being forced to witness the death of his parents and clan members over and over again was not enough, his mind decided it would be a good time to recycle some recent moments of horror and deeply buried fears of which the grave soil was still fresh. 

He could not win.

The space was dark. Empty. Soundless. In the distance, a blue light flickered on, filling the space with a warm buzz once it became steady. Sasuke stretched a pale hand out, slim fingers glowing in the dim, the details in the callouses and shapes of his bones as the light reflected off them distracting him from the space. 

And then he was there.

The blood was dripping from where their flesh joined at a steady pace. It hit the floor beneath them in a rhythmic plop, filling the space around his bare feet with red liquid that was tinged purple from the fading blue light in front of him. Sasuke stared at his fist in confusion, the fading crackles of Chidori dying along with Naruto’s breaths. Naruto. The person before him was his best friend, but not. The ‘not-Naruto’ just stood there, breath ragged, defeated and dying. But Naruto would never…Sasuke would never…his own breath picked up pace. Where was Kira? Where was Kakashi? His thoughts turned frantic but he could not tear his eyes away from the place where their flesh was conjoined. The blood kept pouring, the heavy plopping rang out like gongs. The sight filled him with revulsion, the urge to vomit almost overtaking him but he still could not move. He could feel the warmth of the insides surrounding his hand, the wet softness of exposed organs, the slowing beating of a heart, the thin pulse of chakras. 

Onyx eyes wrenched themselves away from the sight, but were brought like magnets to hollow sapphires. The rest of his body was frozen. He was an observer here, screaming in his own head to MOVE! GET BACK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! HEAL HIM! NOT LIKE THIS! HE CAN’T DIE TOO! FIX HIM!

He watched in absolute dread as his body _finally_ moved. As soon as his fist detached from Naruto the blonde teetered back and landed on the ground, sinking deep into the dark water of the space they were in. Sasuke wanted to run to him, pull him back up, _save him_. He screamed and banged on the walls of his consciousness. This was not him. Please. Don’t let it be real. Naruto sank and a grave stone rose in his place. Sasuke couldn’t read the writing, but you can’t read in dreams anyway.

Sasuke’s body then turned around, it’s back facing the grave and he knew instinctively that the hokage monument was beneath his feet, past the blood that was now up to his ankles. He looked into the darkness. Seeing faint outlines of woods, his steps forward were leaded as he was dragged forward by his own body. It didn’t make sense why he could feel but not control. 

Why was he always so powerless?

A wail, familiar yet strange, surrounded him and sent ice cold vibrations throughout his soul. Two red lights appeared in the dark trees ahead of him, illuminating his destination. 

Akirama. He wanted to run to her, but his desires held no power over his actions. His body stilled, and he could see she was holding his brother’s body to her chest and glaring at him. His brother’s eyes were mirrors of his own, the sharingan pattern twirling. Two pairs of red eyes filled with hate, seeing through him as if he was nothing. He wanted to scream for her to get away from Itachi, to plead _don’t look at me that way, please._ She bent down and kissed Itachi fully, cupping his face the way she had done with him once. Passionate. 

No. 

Sasuke felt his heart shatter a million times over and he ran, this time his will in full alignment with his body’s actions before he even realized that he was just _reacting_. The Chidori in his hand seemed to have a life itself, growing to unimaginable size and power, fueled by his hatred and rage. 

In that moment, he was powerful. He _was_ power.

It happened in a burst of light. There was no sound other than the chirps and his own growls. The Chidori consumed both of his victims in an instant and they were now nothing but bits of ash in the windless space, fluttering up and out into the darkness. His breath was ragged and looking down he noticed the body he was in hardly resembled his own. It was dark and twisted and filled with rot. The stench undefinable.

The red water reached up to his knees, and a soft green light pulled him back in another direction.

Kakashi stood at the three graves, his back facing the raven-haired boy. This was not what was supposed to happen, Sasuke. _I know sensei, forgive me. I didn’t mean to-_ The jonin turned to face him now, unrecognizable rage directed towards Sasuke as the space once again was filled with the sound of a thousand birds. Again, Sasuke did not think and just reacted, the power filling him with a deep intoxication. Power thrummed throughout his being. A shadowy hand on his back pushed him forward and the space briefly sparked in blinding fury as the two clashed before silence and darkness fell in a sudden suffocating heap. The blood water splashed in waves, reaching up to his chest as the graves sank beneath them. The dull silence that followed seemed louder than everything before it.

Uchiha Sasuke was alone. 

Truly and undeniably alone. 

It choked him. Feeling the fear and devastation overwhelm his senses until he was lifted up by the arms. He opened his eyes to see shadowy hands pulling him up and filling him with power, energizing him and wrapping him with strong cords, keeping him upright. The abyss morphed into the world, the red water surrounded the small expanse of land he knew as Konoha as he towered above, rising higher with each wave of crimson.

A white snake slithered out from within his collar and circled around to his other ear. you were supposed to protect them, but you were too weak The words stung and his body pulsed with anger and raw power that exploded into light and pain. He reached out to grab the snake, to silence it but-

 

 

Light. 

He was practically blinded by it. 

Sasuke’s eyes adjusted and he noticed a concerned looking blonde hovering over him, green chakra covered hands sending soft buzzes within him. 

The remnants of his dreams quickly faded away as his vision cleared.

Looking around, the Uchiha was met with some odd sights. Firstly, he was practically buried in ninken. Bull, the largest of the pack was settled at his feet. Bisuke was keeping his lap warm while Shiba and Guruko were flanking his sides. In the bed next to him, Kakashi smiled tiredly in his direction, Pakkun draped over the man’s shoulder as Urushi, Akino and Uhei enveloped the man in similar formation. In between the beds, Naruto waved his arms about wildly in excitement gesturing in his direction.

Unfortunately, Sasuke couldn’t focus on a single word the blonde was saying because-

“Dobe.” His voice was hoarse and small but it caught the attention of the room’s occupants immediately. The blonde woman straightened up and motioned for the brunette at her side to get him water, but none of that was important right now. No. What was important, what Sasuke absolutely _needed_ to know right now was-

“Teme!!” The blue-eyed boy shouted, smiling widely and rushing to his side. “You need something? You’re ok right? We brought the old la-I mean Tsunade as fast as we could and-”

“Naruto.”

“Uh…yeah Sas?”

Sasuke took a breath and made his features as stoic as possible. “What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Wearing.”

There were some snickers from some ninken and humans alike as the blonde stood flabbergasted. Sasuke eyed what could only be described as a green spandex monstrosity with disdain as he cooly sipped the water in his hand, controlling his laughter as best as he could while Naruto gaped at him.

“SERIOUSLY?! WE GO THROUGH HELL AND BACK AND ALMOST FUCKING DIE JUST TO BRING THIS CRAZY BITCH TO HEAL YOU AND THE FIRST THING YOU SAY TO ME ISN’T ‘OH THANK YOU NARUTO YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND LET’S GO GET RAMEN’! NO!! IT’S TO INSULT ME AND MY AWESOME OUTFIT THAT GUY SENSEI GAVE ME! YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE THIS OUTFIT IS GOING TO HELP MAKE ME STRONGER THAN YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!” 

Sasuke said nothing as he felt the killer intent coming off the blonde woman who was about to reach out and smack him upside the head when the door opened and the actual smell of ramen filled the room. Akirama came in, looking exhausted but cheerful as she pulled a cart loaded with a dozen bowls of ramen. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?” she asked, handing a bowl to Kakashi and patting him on the head. She gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before scooping Pakkun up and moving on. 

“What’s up? What's up?!! WHAT’S UP IS YOUR BOYFRIEND INSULTED MY SUPER COOL SUIT!” Naruto shouted, reaching out for a bowl only for his hand to get slapped away.

Sasuke’s mouth went a bit dry as she approached him. Something was different about her, but it wasn’t anything glaringly noticeable. She bent down and ruffled his hair, planting a small kiss on his forehead and placing a bowl in his hands. “Oh? So do you have some sort of monopoly on onesies, Sasu-chan?”

He sputtered indignantly and fought the rising blush in his cheeks. “That was not a onesie! That was…”

“Actually it was, Sasu-chan. I wore a similar one when I was your age, different accessories, of course, no patented Uchiha collar…” Kakashi drawled from his bed. Sasuke turned to glare daggers at him but the gray-haired man remained, as always, unaffected. “It seems to be a bit of a tradition I suppose. Perhaps you would like one too, Kira-kun?”

The girl snorted and opened the lids to several bowls, placing them around for the ninken before finally handing one to the hyperactive blonde who was now salivating. “Absolutely not. I’ll leave the iconic fashion trends and blunders of team 7 up to you boys, thanks.” 

Naruto at least had the decency to blush, making eye contact with Sasuke and silently communicating their promise of revenge on their teammate for her remark. The two older women exchanged a few words with Kira, ordered bed rest for a few days for the previously afflicted, and went off to do...whatever somewhere else. 

As soon as the room was theirs, Kakashi signaled Naruto who sealed the room, immediately gaining Sasuke’s attention. 

“Now, Naru-chan, Kira-kun, I believe something was said about a near death experience on your hokage-retrieval mission? Which one of you is going to share what we missed during our little nap? ”

The two in question exchanged a glance before Naruto stuffed his face full of noodles and looked innocently at his sister. Sasuke sighed. This wasn’t going to be good.


	22. Calm

The re-cap was interesting, to say the least. And Sasuke was grateful to Kakashi for requesting it, as he could tell from his teammates’ tone and body language that they would not have offered up most of the information so soon, if at all.

The whole thing took about twenty minutes to explain. After he had been knocked out, Kira had gone after Itachi and his partner in a rage and nearly succeeded in killing the shark dude before Itachi attempted Tsukuyomi, which only failed because of the Shinigami-thing, supposedly. They found their mother’s sensei, the cousin and the pig, convinced them to come back and were attacked by a semi-crippled Orochimaru and vengeful Kabuto. An almost successful blackmail attempt, as well as the equally almost successful attempted murders of Kira and Naruto (Jiraya finally made up for being an absent bastard by taking the hit, or bite rather, for the dobe on that one), and an epic fight that ended in the snakes’ retreat followed. Tsunade and Kira had reached some kind of awkward understanding, and while there was still some lingering animosity, there was also a small line of communication opened, of which Naruto was greatly attributed for some reason.

Oh, and Guy-sensei had given Naruto that hideous piece of clothing before carrying him back to the village. Sasuke made a mental note to both thank and berate the man for that.

As for the elephant in the room, Kira stated monotonously that according to that death-masked Anbu, Kaito- _sensei_ (he still did NOT like that guy), using the death power was having odd impacts on her, both good and bad. Apparently, each time she used it, it consumed both soul and chakra of the enemy. Which meant it had three separate helpings of Snake, a side of shark, and a few other snacks along the way, including some Zabuza and Haku. What came from that was an advancement of that power as well as a greater hunger, either of which Kira wasn’t strong enough to control yet. And if she kept going and feeding It without increasing her own strength first, then she would lose herself completely.

Meaning she’d become A Living Death.

On the upside though, each time she did use it, some of her memory returned. It hadn’t been noticeable at first. Certain things about Tsunade, memories and such like the “meet Daddy Death” theory (he’d kill Kakashi for that stupid nickname) came creeping in naturally, like small leaks in a half-sturdy bridge. She didn’t know exactly what memories were seeping through, as there was no dramatic memory flashback or announcement made in her brain. The information was just, there, to be recalled as necessary. 

That particular revelation saddened him the most.

The ramen had been long gone by the time all of Kakashi and his questions were answered, with the ninken throwing in a few here and there. And it wasn’t until they were satisfied that the blonde was allowed to release the seal on the room, and the two were summoned shortly after to the hokage’s office.

When they were alone, the gray-haired man turned his lone eye on him, an unspoken question rising in the tense air.

“This changes nothing.” Sasuke spoke, his voice thick with resolve.

The other said not a word, only offering the slightest of nods in return before opening his little green book. Sasuke grabbed one of the scrolls Naruto left for him and the solemn pair were left to their literary endeavors in silence.

 

“Sasuke-kun~!” 

Said boy’s dark eyes widened in horror as he turned from his scroll. It had been half a day since their “recovery” and the last two sharingan holders in the village still had two more days of bedrest before the Godaime would allow them to leave. 

In other words, he was trapped.

His pink-haired ex-teammate practically ran into the room with the blonde Yamanaka girl close on her tail. He didn’t need to look at Kakashi to know the man was faking slumber right now, leaving him alone at the fangirls’ mercy. Fuck. He thought they were over this!

“Sasuke-kun! You’re awake finally!” Ino exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling brightly as she approached his bed.

“Back off Ino-pig! Give him some room!” Sakura chided as she brushed up next to the other girl, cheeks aflame. Sasuke grimaced and subtly shifted towards the opposite end of the bed, his ninken companions chuckling softy around him. “We’re so happy you’re ok Sasuke-kun! We were so worried!”

Ino nodded vehemently beside her as she changed out the flowers in the bedside vase. “We’ve been visiting you guys and Lee every day since you arrived, but now that Tsunade-sama is here, you guys will all be up and about in no time, I’m sure!”

He raised a brow at that. “How is Lee?”

Sakura’s head dropped. “Not too good, his spirits are down a bit, which is saying something considering…” Right, Might Guy was the most enthusiastic person he’d ever met, besides Naruto of course. And the thought of Naruto being so dejected was almost impossible. Though, if he had suffered those same injuries…

The blonde placed a hand on her friends’ shoulder consolingly. “He’ll be ok. Tsunade-sama is the best, remember?”

The pinkette sniffed and nodded, lifting up her head to smile at the other girl in thanks. Sasuke studied their body language curiously. They weren’t fawning all over him, yes, but at the same time…

“Anyway, Sakura and I are volunteers here, so if you or your sensei need anything just ask for us and we’ll take care of you.” Ino stated, her tone shifting to businesslike.

A memory flashed back to them during the invasion. “You two are trained in medical-ninjutsu?”

Sakura blushed even darker and nodded shyly. “Uhm...well...yes...you see…”

Ino tsk’d and shook her head. “What forehead here is trying to say is yes, we are trained, but we’re still fledglings. Though, Naruto suggested we nag Tsunade-sama for some apprenticeships, since she’s supposed to be big on expanding the med-nin presence out in the field, and he even said he’d put in a good word for us!” 

She smiled and Sakura mirrored her expression. “You see, apparently after the second stage of the chuunin exams Sakura here asked Kira-senpai to help her out with some training, and for some unknown reason she agreed. After Sakura showed up to team 10 training and started bragging about her new skills, I thought she was trying to manipulate Kira-senpai so I got in on some of the lessons too and well…long story short we both are pretty good at it, good enough to get part-time volunteer work here at least. Though I hate to admit, billboard brow is _slightly_ better than me in this particular field.” She ended with a smirk.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the pinkette. He recalled now certain aspects of Sakura’s character and past interactions with his teammates. “So Sakura, were you trying to manipulate my girlfriend? Or are you truly interested in healing?”

The girl was so red now Sasuke was sure she would burst. Ino shifted uncomfortably, and squeezed the girls’ shoulder in encouragement. Sasuke waited. 

“Well…at first I…I just wanted to get stronger. I was feeling like…I was being left behind…by everyone, you know? And the danger…the danger was so real…and I…I never _realized_ …” She wrung her hands awkwardly and lifted her eyes to meet his. “But then I figured it out, there was more to it. More to _me_ than just… _this_.” 

She gestured to her body helplessly, and Sasuke realized he was talking to the real Sakura now, not the delusional self-involved banshee that haunted his steps since the Academy. 

“I still want to get stronger, but not just because I want to keep up, but because I want to help Lee. I want to be able to help all of our friends, all our fellow ninja, and not just be useless like I was back in the forest. When I asked Kira-senpai for direction, I wasn’t trying to trick her or anything. In the beginning I just wanted answers, no one had told me that being a ninja would be like this, you know? I was stuck in this fantasy world, romanticizing everything, the life, you, everything. She pulled me out and it was like I could breathe again. Everything my parents and the other civilians fed me had kept me down there, and once I came up for air it was like…as soon as I started learning about medical ninjutsu I could _see myself_ again.” 

The girl took a deep breath and glared at Sasuke, which was so unfamiliar and intriguing, yet not at all intimidating. “So _no_ , I wasn’t manipulating Kira-senpai. I _am_ truly interested in healing because I _care_ about you, Lee, and _all_ of our comrades. I am _not_ the same naive girl from a few months ago Sasuke-kun, and I…” 

She paused, her features softening. " _I’m sorry._ It was unfair of me to push my feelings on you when you clearly did not return them and weren’t even in the mindset for such childish fantasies. My treatment of you _and_ Naruto was equally unkind, and I am ashamed of my behavior and words. I hope you can forgive me and that we could be friends, at least.”

“We both are. And we both want to be friends, with you and with Naruto.” Ino added, both girls held serious faces, slightly teary which was making Sasuke very uncomfortable. He blinked once, twice, tsk’d and shook his head.

“You’re both ridiculous.” He felt Bisuke nip at his finger and suppressed a flinch. “But thank you. I'll consider it, after you talk to Naruto. He deserves your apologies more." He saw them both nod with small smiles of relief and continued, addressing Sakura. "And I’m glad that you’ve found your path and that you’re not taking advantage of my girlfriend’s _or_ Naruto’s kindness.”

One of the girls gasped but he couldn’t tell which since they both shared the same look of surprise. “No!” “We would never!”

“It’s ok girls, he’s just a little over-protective, that’s all.” Kakashi piped up from his bed, earning a glare from the Uchiha. Of course _now_ he decides to join in on the odd conversation. “I’m sure you can forgive his rudeness, just this once.” He winked at the girls who both blushed and giggled nervously, nodding in agreement as they hurriedly went about apologizing for disturbing his rest and asking if they needed anything before returning to their duties, once again leaving the two males in somewhat comfortable silence. A serene feeling washed over Sasuke then, feeling as if one of the smaller boulders on his back had been lifted, the relief lulling him to sleep.

 

Team 7 decided to celebrate their healthy reunion with calling in Kakashi-sensei’s debt.

“Didn’t you say if all three of us made it to the finals you’d treat us to that 24-course place?” Sasuke reminded the gray-haired cheapskate, who was currently sulking in a tree. No way were they training today. The new hokage had been officially sworn in, doom was looming on the horizon, and the missions were supposed to be coming in tomorrow. Today was the only day they had free before the storm.

“HEY THAT’S RIGHT!” Naruto shouted from his place on the bridge, jumping up and dropping the scroll he was reading into the river unseen. “What are we waiting for!? Let’s go!”

Kira hopped down and retrieved the parchment, shaking her head. “It's a nice afternoon, but we should still train some more. There's a couple hours of daylight left and it’s been a while, and with everything that’s been happening lately-”

“I agree.” Kakashi interjected, earning a warning glare from the raven. “Today’s perfect for some old fashioned team bonding, even if it’s at the expense of my wallet.” Sasuke’s shoulders relaxed as he felt some more tension go. 

Naruto jumped up again in joy and looped one arm around Sasuke’s shoulder and the other around a grumpy looking Kira. “Alright! I’m starving!!” 

Their sensei chuckled and ruffled some heads, and the party of four went off to dine like kings.

Only…

“WHAT?! WHERE IS IT?!” Naruto was frantic, fruitlessly sorting through a pile of rubble for the non-existent restaurant. “It was right here dattebayo!”

Kakashi scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. “Well, it doesn’t look like it anymore, Naru-chan.”

Sasuke shifted from foot to foot. There were blood stains on some of the bricks, bringing flashbacks of the invasion to the forefront of his mind. His hands started trembling slightly, visions of bloodlust and hatred, his teammates beyond reach, chaos, bodi-

A small hand embraced his own, warm chakra filling him with calm. Dragging him back into the present. He leaned a little into her space, letting her envelop him with her scent and life. 

“I suppose there’s always the BBQ place?” Kakashi offered.

Naruto ceased his fake sobbing and turned around with glistening eyes. “All you can eat?”

The Copy-ninja sighed. “Yes Naru-chan. All you can eat.”

“Ya-ta!” 

 

It turned out to be a popular night for BBO, as an odd assortment of genin were there, including Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Neji. Sakura and Ino had gone on a mission to get specific herbs the day before with Asuma, and wouldn’t be back for a few days. Shino, Hinata and Tenten had left for another mission that morning with Kurenai, so Guy-sensei had taken it upon himself to ‘baby-sit’ the strays, as he and Kakashi would be setting out for a mission of their own in a few hours. 

Kakashi ordered several bottles of sake for their group. The Hyuga Dick, as Sasuke referred to him in his head, refused to drink at first, until someone mentioned an old proverb that the measure of a man was based on his ability to drink. There were several arguments and discussions on sexism, metabolism, and preferences but in the end, there wasn’t a sober one in the lot. Well, except for Akamaru.

Which is when things got interesting.

Kiba, or rather Akamaru henged in Kiba’s likeness, and Choji got into a competition of who could eat the most meat without puking, of which there were no real winners. Shikamaru and Kira got into a heated debate about where the best places to nap in the village, and what constitutes as a ‘nap’ versus a ‘sleep’, which made no sense to anyone but them. Then Naruto and Kiba would not stop giggling, at what? Who knows. And from the looks on their faces in incoherent mumblings between fits of laughter, Sasuke decided it was better not to ask. 

Neji started reciting archaic poetry to no one in general. Sasuke found himself randomly correcting lines here and there, and responding with recitations of like poems he hadn’t thought of since he was a boy. The recital-off had undertones of competition between the two until they noticed their sensei’s and chose to drink in commiseration. Gai and Kakashi were pinky-wrestling (was that even a thing?), with such fire and seriousness that you’d think the fate of the world was riding on the outcome. 

By then end of the night, everyone was kicked out after singing Guy’s original ‘ballad of youth’ nine times in a row. 

Outside the restaurant, Kakashi shared a few words with Sasuke off to the side, an unconscious Naruto haphazardly thrown over his shoulder, and a semi-conscious Kira trying to braid Shikamaru’s hair while he laid on the ground in defeat. Neji’s hair was somehow done up in a high bun and Guy-sensei was carrying him bridal style, which everyone awake enough to appreciate did so to the fullest. 

Choji was supporting a completely passed out Kiba with one arm while snacking with the other, and Akamaru had returned to canine form. The Akamichi boy shouted farewells between mouthfuls and the three headed off home. Guy scooped up Shikamaru before he could protest, causing the shadow user to turn beet red but who was also unwilling to physically protest, as it was “still better than having to walk home”. Guy laughed jovially and promised to see Kakashi at the gates in an hour, then ran off on the roof-tops. Kakashi ruffled Sasuke’s hair and shunshined away with a mumbling-in-his-sleep-about-ramen-again-Naruto, and then it was just the two of them.

Kira took his hand and giggled, her face completely pink and warm as she buried it in the crook of his neck. He smirked and led her to the Uchiha compound, where the two sat at the end of the little bridge by the lake for a while. The moon illuminated the night, it’s reflection undisturbed in the cool water. Sasuke spoke very little, but his words and actions then were chosen carefully, emitted with unfiltered emotion. He stayed there a few moments longer after she finally drifted off, before finally bringing her back to his apartment and tucking her in his bed.

 

By the time dawn rose, Uchiha Sasuke was no longer in the village.


	23. Gone Boy

Naruto woke up to the sound of unreasonably loud banging on his front door. Grumbling, he painfully pried himself out of bed, staggering to the door and opening it with the full intent to kill the person on the other side.

“What. The. Hell-”

“Sasuke is gone.”

The world, that was just milliseconds ago tilting and whirling in a sickening manner came to a screeching halt. Naruto was suddenly wide awake, staring into the red-eyes of Shikamaru and searching for the punchline. 

“You’re bullshitting me, right Shika?” He asked desperately. No way Sasuke would leave. Not after…

“I wish I was.” Shikamaru shook his head. “Hurry up and get ready so we can gather the others. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

“Right!” Naruto dashed back into his apartment, exchanging clothes and gathering supplies at lightning speed. The two of them took off and went to Choji’s house to retrieve him, and repeated the action with Kiba and then Neji.

“Wait a second, what about Kira-chan?” Naruto asked when the party of five finally arrived at the village gate. “She should be here too! She’s not on a mission and she’s a sensor, she could-”

Shikamaru shook his head. “She’s the one who informed the Hokage Sasuke was missing this morning. Apparently, there was an argument of some sort between the two and half of the hokage’s office was destroyed, so she has been deemed unfit to come on the mission. Troublesome women”

Naruto growled but Neji placed a hand on his shoulder. “It is likely for the best. After my confrontation with Hinata I can vouch for the hokage’s decision. Sometimes a shinobi is too emotionally invested to make rational choices.”

He didn’t want to agree, but they were wasting time. Besides, if he knew his sister like he thought he did... “Fine, whatever. Let’s just go.” 

“Alright, let’s get this straight. Kira sensed four other chakra signatures accompanying Sasuke, of high chuunin levels that also carry traces of Orochimaru’s chakra within them.” 

Naruto blinked. “Wait, are you saying these guys have hicky-curses too?” 

“What the fu-Naruto do you even-hicky what?” Kiba was looking at him like he was crazy, Neji mirroring the expression somewhat more stoically. If Naruto hadn't been fluent in such subtlety he would have missed it. Either way he ignored it, focusing his attention on the newly appointed chuunin. 

“I believe something along those lines was said, yes. According to the information I received that means their power levels could fluctuate, so we shouldn’t underestimate them.” Shikamaru responded, also ignoring Kiba. “Also, Sasuke’s chakra is muted, so we will need to locate them using Kiba and Neji’s abilities.” He took out a piece of cloth and handed it to Kiba who nodded and began scenting it, handing it to Akamaru to do the same. “It is also reasonable to assume that they are expecting us. We will likely be ambushed, so stay in formation and be on the lookout for traps. Don’t deviate from my orders, got it?”

The other four nodded and Shikamaru went on to explain their formation plan. Once everyone understood their position and role, they did one last supply check. “Alright then guys, let’s go get our comrade.” Akamaru barked in affirmation and the others agreed. 

Naruto nodded as well but couldn’t help the uneasy feeling in his stomach.

 

 

Sasuke was having one of those days.

24 hours ago, he had been alone in the abandoned Uchiha district, contemplating several things at once while trying to clear his mind of everything. In other words, his mind was a mess.

Which is when he was attacked by the four assholes from Oto. 

They were strong, yes. But Sasuke was slightly stronger, though he didn’t show it. Not when they were practically handing out an invitation to him. Their curse marks were reaching out to him, and he calculated it was the very same curse marks that allowed them access to his clan’s grounds, as it was minutely similar to the anomaly in his own. It would be enough for them to pass through, at least. 

The pulsating was strong, reacting to their power as they deemed to show it. It was like a drug, and that one small hit was enough for him to let loose as soon as they provoked his anger.

And then they gave him the ultimatum.

Stay in the village, and he’d be weak forever. Use the curse mark without Orochimaru’s help to control it, and he’d die. Come with them, and Orochimaru would give him power. Come with them, give up his bonds, and he’d be able to fulfill his purpose.

It wasn’t really a choice.

Leaving Konoha was…well he couldn’t stay. Not when if he did, he’d die. His teammates had informed him of the terraforming before, so he knew the sound ninjas weren’t lying about the erosion. And Naruto wasn’t anywhere near a seal master’s level enough to get rid of the curse mark safely. They lacked knowledge of how it worked in general and Itachi had already marked the dobe as a target because of the kyuubi. Which meant he’d be too busy training to be able to defend himself and control the kyuubi, and wouldn’t have time to research on how to help him. Clones or not. Then there was the possibility of Kira being marked by his brother’s organization too, according to Jiraya. And her whole death-thing. Basically, they all had their own problems and training to do. 

Plus, Itachi had just came in and wiped the floor with Konoha’s strongest ninja, including his sensei, which did not bode well for his own training within the village.

In other words, the answers and training he needed could not be found here. So, it wasn’t really a hard choice to make. The hard part was saying goodbye, which he opted not to do at all.

Sure, they'd be pissed. But they'd understand. Eventually. Hopefully.

Maybe.

And if they didn't...well...he didn't want to think about that.

After all, they knew he had a goal when they met, when they became a team and...well things change...or changed and anyway...his goal was the same. And they knew that wasn't going to change. Not for anyone or anything. They had accepted that, they would accept this. They had to.

Itachi _had_ to die.

But now these sound ninja idiot’s were telling him _he_ had to die? Like really, what the fuck? 

Reaching the second stage of the curse mark was complicated, and dangerous…but the sound four would create a protective barrier to prevent him from dying. 

Supposedly.

He sighed and closed his eyes, weighing the non-existent options. 

He couldn’t die yet. No way. Not until Itachi was dead. Not until his clan could rest in peace, and his new family was safe. 

Not yet.

Opening the tiny bottle of pellets, he placed one in his hand and pocketed the jar. Swallowing quickly, he was assaulted instantaneously with pain. He heard them shouting and someone grabbed him, pulling him towards the funeral barrel the larger one had been lugging around.

The last thing he heard through the agony and his own internal screaming was the seal being placed around him, and then nothing.

 

 

They came upon their targets fairly quickly. Kiba and Naruto had been distracted by the scent of blood nearby, but Shikamaru kept them focused, allowing Naruto to send a few clones to check on things after he quickly explained how they could report back instantly once one dispelled. 

Their enemies were resting, a barrier set up around them that the blonde was busy making counter-seals to disengage, trying not to panic when Neji noted the Uchiha was no where in sight, and likely hidden away in the coffin in the middle of the four ninja. Naruto was so distracted that he didn’t notice right away when the enemy started moving towards them.

_Damn it!_

The explosion provided just enough distraction for Naruto to decimate the barrier and Kiba to throw a smoke bomb. Shikamaru trapped the four in shadow possession and Choji was making his way towards the coffin when one of them appeared in front of him and kicked him hard in the chest, launching him towards the others while another activated an earth jutsu. Once they were all trapped within the strange dome, they heard the muffled conversation of the others announcing they would be moving on while one stayed behind to eat them. 

Well…shit.

“Move Naruto!” Kiba shouted from behind him and launched haphazardly into a “Tunneling Fang” attack which at first looked like it did some damage to the barrier before becoming null and void. 

Naruto placed his hands on the wall and felt the chakra of his comrades and himself being siphoned and channeled to a fixed point, where he felt the signature of the man who was supposed to eat them stationed. He made eye contact with Shikamaru and signaled him discretely. 

Neji activated his byakugan and confirmed what he had just figured out. Kiba, oblivious to the other’s actions fed Akamaru a pellet and was about to attack again when Naruto stopped him.

“Don’t baka! It’ll just drain your-”

“Who are you calling baka loser!”

“OBVIOUSLY YOU DUMBASS!”

“Guys…”

“Seriously? Is this what we’re doing now?”

“Hey!”

“DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THAT THING ON TOP OF YOUR NECK FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN EATING AND SHOUTING SUPID SHIT KIBA?!”

“DO YOU NOT KNOW YOU AREN’T TALKING TO YOURSELF RIGHT NOW UZUMAKI?”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Neji shouted, gaining the attention of all the others. Shikamaru was in the corner, squatting with his hands in an ‘O’ shape. Choji was munching furiously on a bag of chips, watching the two loud ninjas with mild interest.

“Neji,” Shikamaru spoke softly. “use your eyes to find the spot behind you and then use a kunai.” Neji raised an eyebrow but nodded, following the chuunin’s orders with a small smirk.

“Are you seriously eating right now Akamichi?” Kiba questioned with disgust. 

“What can I say? I’m not a man of science, I’m a man of snacks!” he replied proudly, emptying the bag in one last gulp.

Naruto chuckled a bit at the statement, clearing the way in anticipation of where this was going. 

Kiba looked like he was about to give a snarky rebuttal when Shikamaru shouted the go ahead and Choji used his expansion jutsu. Neji launched a kunai in the weak spot and the others smirked. A quick explanation was hashed out followed by-

“HUMAN BOULDER!” Choji literally barreled his way through the weak spot, creating an opening in the dirt mound and freeing them. Naruto jumped up in the air and ran over to the other ninja, giving him a high five and shouting his praises.

“You’re awesome.” Shikamaru stated, and both Neji and Kiba echoed the statement. The Akamichi boy blushed and smiled in response, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. 

“Well now…” The enemy was a large shinobi, dressed in similar garb to Orochimaru. Naruto growled at the sight of him. “Seems you kids are up for a fight then. Heh heh.”

Naruto and Kiba were in sync for once, and made ready to attack when Neji stopped them.

“Don’t!”

“Why not?”

“Yeah man, why not? We broke this dude’s barrier-”

“Well, technically Choji did-”

“It doesn’t matter. Sasuke is getting further away every second and-”

The big dude didn’t give them anymore time. He slapped the ground with his hand and they were hit with a rainfall of rocks and earth. He disappeared in the dirt cloud only to emerge again supporting a house-sized boulder on his back, which he promptly launched in their direction.

“HUMAN BOULDER!!”

Choji once again smashed the man’s earth style attack to bits. The two seemed to go head to head until Choji was launched back into Shika’s direction.

“This isn’t working!” Naruto shouted. He couldn’t feel Sasuke’s chakra anymore. They were losing ground. 

“Right. Neji, you take-”

“No.” Choji stood on shaky legs, looking angrier than Naruto ever thought possible. It was as if someone stole the last piece of birthday cake AND called him fat. The Uzumaki shuddered. “He’s mine.”

“Choji…”

“You heard the man!” Naruto grinned ferally. He recognized that tone anywhere. He’d heard it a few times from his teammates, and even from himself a time or two. 

Choji meant business.

“Yeah man, if Choji wants him, I say we let him have him!” Kiba added, Akamaru barking in agreement.

Neji cooly eyed said boy appraisingly, before turning to Shikamaru and nodding in approval. 

Shikamaru looked worried and exasperated. But it was plain he couldn’t argue with his teammate. Choji’s entire demeanor screamed ‘determination’, and logically speaking they had no choice. The mission was at stake.

Choji took out a bag of soldier pills and handed them to their squad leader. “Take these and go. You’ll need all the strength you can get, so don’t bother leaving any annoying blondes to babysit me, heh. Plus those scrolls Naruto has will take too long to administer, and you’re running out of time.”

“Hey!”

“Quiet loser!”

“You don’t mean…” Shikamaru raised his brows in worry, receiving only a confident nod and smile in return.

“Go on Shikamaru. I got this.”

The four thanked their friend and split the pellets before parting. Naruto slipping a RC scroll into the Akamichi’s pocket with a wink and a hug. “Fuck his shit up, dattebayo!” Choji chuckled and grinned.

“Kick his ass man!” Kiba slapped him on the back and Neji simply nodded again, offering a small smirk.

Shikamaru glanced back one last time as they started off. “Don’t make us wait too long to catch up Choji.”

“Yeah, I know.” He waved a hand over his shoulder without looking back. “Good luck you guys!”


	24. Scum

Kira paced the length of the hokage’s office for what felt like hours. The ancient one had gone down to perform Lee-kun’s surgery after sending a message to Suna. 

The problem was, well, there were a few actually.

One. She was chakra-blocked and “grounded”. That old perverted bastard had given the damn woman duplicate seals just in case she started to go reaper again, and the blonde had slapped one on her right after she broke her desk in protest. The seal suppressed her chakra, though luckily didn’t cause her to pass out since she wasn’t technically in glow-mode. 

However, she was already pissed off about Sasu-chan leaving like a punk-ass-coward to do something she just knew was stupid, and then Tsunade goes and explains how they needed to _wait and form a team to go get him._ The bi-colored hair girl had tried to explain that there was no time for that, which is why she came to Tsunade in the first place and didn’t just grab Naru-chan and follow right after. They were on thin ice as it was, after that whole _Hyuuga thing_ , AKA problem 1A, and the council’s _new-found safety concerns_ , or 1B, regarding the illustrious genin of Team 7. 

Anyway, Tsunade refused to let her go right away and insisted on waiting. Kira got frustrated, feeling Sasuke’s and the ones he was with chakras pulling away further, and punched a desk. Harsh words were exchanged between the two Senju and now…

If this is what she got for doing things the proper way, then where was the motivation? Where was the upside? She was stuck, helpless and bound and waiting on the side-lines because of what? Familial-social-obligations? Politics? Lack-of-patience for bullshit? 

Whatever. It didn’t matter because she was stuck. And it was her own fault, well, most of it. And in choosing to respect Tsunade’s authority she was making a conscious effort to help things along. After-all, Sasuke leaving was going to have a lot of blow-back on his return, and Tsunade’s ability to restrain “Hatake’s Minions” (a nickname the man coined himself she was sure) was being called into question. 

So she was literally taking one for the team, only it wasn’t sitting right. 

Leading her to this internal debate. 

Focus.

Two. The help from Suna wouldn’t arrive nearly in time. Which meant Naru-chan might have to fight Sas on his own. Which meant one of them would get hurt. Bad.

Problem 2A. They were both too stubborn not to back down or hold back. If Sasu-chan had gone, probably (hopefully) due to coercion, than that meant he was doing what he believed to be the right thing. So, he’d fight tooth and nail, no question. Naru-chan, on the other hand, wouldn’t give two shits about dear-old duckbutt’s reasoning and would be just as brutal, because, as they had established during that pleasant outing in the Forest of Death just recently, that Snake-Fucker was Evil. 

And there’s no way in hell any of them would let him get a hand on any one of the others.

Sasuke _had_ to know that. He was a moron, but he wasn’t stupid. Though, recent actions may have put that to question.

The other genin sent with Naru-chan and Shika were strong, especially after their collective experiences during the invasion, but they were all hung-over, and likely not at their best, making this little issue 2B. So Naru-chan would probably help out a bit, and that would put him at a disadvantage later. Basically, a few genin weren’t enough for these snake-dick-riders and Suna was just too damn far and…

Come to think of it, Sasuke was the one ordering most of the drinks for everyone, yet she didn’t see him drink nearly as much. In fact, now that she thought of it, he was more of a traditional sipper than a gulper like most of them had become by the end of it all.

Fucking Uchiha.

She stopped pacing for a moment to glare into her Grandfather’s portrait. 

_What would he do?_

He wasn't perfect. He was a bit of an asshole whose main goal was the unification and strength of the village. He succeeded in many ways, and failed in others. He was human. She’d read almost every single one of the journals and scrolls he’d left behind, and easily felt closer to him both as a leader of her clan and of the village than Tsunade or even her own mother. She’d let the guys read a few, mainly Sasuke, but kept one to herself. The oldest one. The one where he’d subtly confessed to being secretly in love with an Uchiha named Izuna, and that killing him had been the biggest mistake of his life despite ripple-effecting into the creation of the village he loved so dearly. The one mistake that he never forgave himself for, even after coming to love her grandmother. 

It was nuts, and waaaaayyy too personal. Kira wasn’t sure how she felt learning he’d loved someone other that her grandma, even if she’d never met the woman, and the guilt he felt about not being able to return her love completely. Somehow, reading it was as physically uncomfortable as sitting in a pile of sticky goo with leaves and twigs mixed in for hours, aka one of her least favorite training experiences.

So, she’d probably never finish that one, and definitely never let anyone else get their hands on it. Nope nope nope!

But the fact was, Senju Tobirama was a pragmatic man, almost to a fault. But he’d felt something for the village, something that extended beyond the duties to improve the internal structure. And not just the obligation great-unc Hashi-pants had pressed upon him for the Uchiha. He’d appreciated the combined effort it took their two clans to create a home, and from what she understood his main goal was to get everyone to put aside their priorities to their clans in favor of the village as equals, including his formal rival clan. He tried to do right by them, but he wasn’t as successful as he was in other endeavors, probably because he didn’t hold back any criticism about their faults. Uchiha Kagami had been one of the members in his personal squad, and entrusted as the keeper of the journals until her mother came of age. The same squad that he sacrificed himself for.

Her grandfather. The God of Thunder. Believer in the Will of Fire. Known for his competitive streak, insane intelligence, creativity that resulted in a few good things and a few not-so-good ones, generally low social skills due to a lack of filter and oh that terrible temper! 

She glanced at the remains of the desk and grimaced. Ugh, some things she could have done without inheriting from him. 

Like being into an Uchiha. Or, Problem number three. She was emotionally compromised. Bits and pieces of his words to her last night that had her head spinning and her heart thundering within her chest now had her seething. Frustrated. Angry.

Ok, so maybe she had more than one reason to break the desk.

But really! You couldn’t say _shit like that_ to someone and run away! That wasn’t how this stupid shit worked!

None of this was how shit worked!

So what would gramps do? Well, he’d never stand for any threat to the village, one. The old man was particularly protective over the home so many of their clan and others had sacrificed their lives over, so he’d definitely see this situation as a security risk to the safety of the village. If the Snake-bastard got a hold of the sharingan, well, that just wasn’t going to fly.

Pragmatically speaking, he'd see that as reason enough to go.

He’d also had the hots for an Uchiha, one who he regretted being the cause of his death for. If Kira didn’t do anything, and Sasu-chan ended up dying because of her lack of action, whether by an over-zealous Naru-chan or as the result of the Snake-Fucker, would she feel the same regret? Was not doing something to help or stop something bad the same as causing or doing it yourself? She tried to ignore the feeling of her heart's reply in favor of thinking logically.

Focus.

The whole reason for this _was_ to think this out _logically._ If she made her decision arbitrarily, the consequences could harm her teammates, Tsunade, and Kami-knows who else. The council was _not_ going to sit this situation out quietly. Her actions, or lack-thereof, would have to be considered not from her over-emotional point of view. Separate her feelings. Think like a kage. The only one she knew the mind of.

Obligatorily speaking, Sasuke was an Uchiha. And a member of the village. 

This damn village.

Turning around, she glanced out the large window. People just going about their day, unaware of the dangers lurking around each corner, ignoring the fact that their safety depends on the sacrifices of others on a daily basis. What kept them going? Why keep doing things the right way? Why do any of this? Why did these people deserve to obliviously prosper while others volunteered to suffer for their happiness? 

What was the purpose? To follow rules and orders? 

_What was her purpose?_

She came here to find a way out of this life. With nothing and no one but a flesh prison and a devil she couldn’t escape. Naruto changed that. And Kakashi. And Sasuke. 

_What was a shinobi?_

She thought she knew, a means to an end. But she was a shinobi now. The meaning of that had changed along with her.

_What was she fighting for?_

This time, it wasn’t her own voice that answered. 

_Those who don’t follow the rules…_

_Those who abandon their friends…_

_The shinobi of the leaf…_

_Are keepers of The Will of Fire._

Kira whipped around again to face the portrait. The voice came from within but…A quick check of Tsunade’s chakra and she noticed the woman attending to some other patients, and Lee-kun’s chakra heading out of the village in a blatantly unauthorized manner.

Grinning, she flexed her wrists to test the chakra-chains binding her, and finding their weak spot, she prepared for the break. It took longer than she’d have liked, and she made a mental note to kick both of those Sannin’s asses for putting her through this pain. It was an abuse of power and trust! Right? After a few minutes, Kira had gathered up enough chakra for one good shot. Summoning the chakra in her voice she commanded the hidden anbu guarding her to **SLEEP.** Swaying a bit, she ripped off the paper on her forehead and shoved it in a pocket as she counted the thunks of their bodies slumping over and, their status confirmed, she used her strength and the tiny bit of chakra to snap the chains open. Another few moments and Kira finally felt her strength return. Once she regained herself, she went out the window and ran to catch up with the green clad ninja.


End file.
